by Joe Crouch
Closing, the feed was cut as the structures energy signature began to spike. A large purple patch on its port flashed into life, the pulsating light was a clear indication of things to come. Before he could react, his ship was engulfed in a bright light, filling the entire cabin, his instruments began to malfunction wildly as he tried his best to wrestle with the computer to regain control. “Fez, what’s going on, most of my terminals have gone to shit and I can’t see a thing,” he shouted over his barely functioning comms channel, but before a reply could be heard his ship jolted forwards, being pulled through space with no control or thrust of its own, a reply came back through the muffled static of the channel.
“Sean,” Fez yelled, “You’re trapped in a magnetic field, it's pulling you towards the Xuron flagship, do everything you can to break from its grasp, it's crucial you…” The channel closed, the interference the field generated around his vessel distorted every screen and computer aboard, there was nothing he could do, he was at the will and mercy of a foe he had every intention of destroying…
Chapter 20
“Oh no,” Sean shouted, punching in commands on the console in front of him to wrangle back control of the Arrakis-two, but nothing worked, his terminal was unresponsive and the controls blinked in and out of existence. His neural interface wasn’t responding as his ship drew ever closer to the Xuron flagship that had him trapped in a gravimetric field. Jumping out from his seat he slammed his hand down on the emergency reset button, the entire ship powered down leaving only his shields and life support online, he was defenceless as his fate grew ever closer, this was his last gasp effort to bring the ship back under his control, but it was a long shot at best.
He stood, staring towards his main systems monitoring station, praying to the gods he had no right in praying to that he would get out of this alive, either they were listening or luck was on his side as his systems flashed back into life, turn it off and on, fixes everything he chuckled. Almost throwing himself back into his seat, he strapped in as his engines began to draw power from the grid, they were still far too short on juice for any meaningful flight, but a short burst is all he needed, one last push to escape the field and send him on his way back to the Mar’Ell. He fumbled about with the controls as his hands shook through the adrenaline. Grabbing the switch which started the grav-engines, he flicked it up to no response, a low power warning flashed across the console’s luminous blue screen, in a desperate hope he flicked it back and forth a few more times, hoping for a different reaction – “Fuck!” he shouted, slamming his fist into the wall.
For now, all he could do was cover his eyes and peek out the cockpit window, the blinding pulsating light bathed every surface it could touch, his mind began to wander, pondering his own mortality and what they would do with his body, his mind grew frantic and panicked, he knew he had to remain calm but it was testing. His eyes darted about the room, his mind seemed to work in slow motion as he scanned everything in the cabin, no obvious answer was in sight, until it dawned on him. Sean spun his chair to face a manual terminal, one that was a backup in case the neural interface failed, “Divert the power,” he whispered to himself, “Divert it to the engines or attempt to increase reaction productivity, that’s the question,” he mused. Deciding with haste, he played with the display until the various power balancing screens were shown and using the tips of his cold fingers he raised the bars for reaction and the engines in equal measurements, nodding, he returned to face the window as he looked on into his impending demise.
He didn’t have to wait long for the changes to take effect, power had been diverted from weapons and shields to produce better control of the gravity around him, pushing hard down on the accelerator, his only lifeline at this moment. The ship began to squirm, shaking violently as it attempted to break free from the flagship’s grasp. He was thrown to and fro, his body took a beating against the hard wall beside him as he pushed the thrust to its limits, his grip tightened on the controls as his palms began to sweat, his breathing slowed to a crawl as he concentrated, willing the ship to move forward. And move forward it did. With a slow creep, the Arrakis-two began to slide out from the gravity well, inching forwards towards her safety, watching on as the bright purple sky that engulfed his ship began to darken, slowly returning to the oddly safe comfort of the void. Opening a channel to the Mar’Ell, his comms system was now operational, “Fez, prepare the welcome party, I’m coming home,” he beamed.
“We’ll be ready, just make sure…” Fez was cut off as the Arrakis-two once again suffered a massive jolt, the view slowly faded back to the bright pulsating purple.
“No…” Sean lamented, letting out a dejected sigh, “I thought that was it, I was so close to safety.”
“Don’t give up, we’re on our…” This time, it was final, a small explosion erupted out from the main console as sparks flew from the now destroyed piece of equipment, leaving only its charred remains scattered about the space. Slumping back into his seat, the excitement drained from his body replaced with the dry, cold feeling of defeat, he could only stare on as he grew closer to the source of the bright light, this must be what it looks like meeting your maker he thought.
Sliding his hand along the cold metallic surface of his console he let himself enjoy one final touch of the machine which made him feel whole, only the faint, blurred sight of what appeared to be red lightning screeching across space snapped him back into reality, “The Mar’Ell,” he said, swiftly perking up in his seat.
“Whatever happens, do not give up hope,” he heard Taris’ voice echo throughout his mind, he scanned the surface in front of him, no channel was open, it couldn’t be, he just watched its components eject across the room, no, this was something else he decided.
“I won’t,” he said aloud, unsure if anyone could hear him, “We’ve got unfinished business…” he trailed off as his ship began to shake violently. A warm glow engulfed the cockpit as he began to feel his eyes go heavy, struggling to keep them open. His limbs became numb and when he could no longer fight it, his eyes slowly shut, sending him into a deep sleep that he was unsure he would wake from.
* * *
“Captain,” a bridge officer aboard the Mar’Ell shouted across the agitated room, “The Arrakis-two is about to enter the flagship, I think it is prudent if we disengage and draw up a clearer plan of attack.”
“Continue your attack pattern and never question my orders again, am I understood?” Fez barked.
“... Yes Captain,” the officer said through gritted teeth. The Mar’Ell was engaged with the colossus that lay anchor ahead of them, the purposefully fractured surface hid a deep well of knowledge that would be invaluable to Ioution command and their High Council. The battle raged on behind them, the Ioution fleet that had assembled defended the Kesken fleet admirably and were driving back the constant onslaught the Xuron threw at them, deep inside Fez was proud, their fleet had always been slightly fractured, but in a time of need, they pulled together. Now his attention turned to Sean, who was about to become the first Human captive to board a Xuron vessel. Fez knew his treatment would be far from pleasant and would likely involve experiments to his body and psyche, it was down to him and the crew of the Mar’Ell to rescue their new friend.
“Focus fire on that beam’s generator,” Fez barked, “Draw power from every system if you have to, just get it destroyed.” His impatience grew as his face darkened, he knew from scans that any weapons fire would be almost useless, but all it takes is one lucky shot and anything could happen. The power rumbled through the ship’s walls as energy was redirected from every non-essential system to the weapons. He watched on as they scarred the ship’s hull, but a feeling of dread filled the bridge as they saw the final piece of his ship disappear into the titan’s belly.
“Captain?” an officer questioned, drawing a foul look from Fez.
“Pull us back and put us at range, it hasn’t fired on us yet but I will not take that chance,” Fez said as he fell backwards i
nto his seat, deep in thought. The situation had now officially changed from a defensive mission to a rescue, one that involved infiltration of a configuration of an enemy ship that they had never witnessed before, to say the situation was perilous was an understatement. A silence fell upon the bridge as they manoeuvred out from the ships range and all fell into the trap of getting lost in their own thoughts, only the bridge door hissing open with angry stomps broke the wasteland of emotion.
“Captain,” Taris yelled pointing a long finger, “We have to go get him, he’s one of us and we cannot just leave him out there, we both know they will not kill him but he will have to endure far worse,” the emotional Ioution screamed before taking a deep breath, trying her best to regain some form of control. Fez looked on, a blank, almost pale mask seemed to occupy his face.
“… I know,” he finally spoke up in a whisper, his head drooped down, “But this whole situation, from beginning to now is my fault, I take responsibility for my actions and I will be the one to risk my life on this mission, no one else,” Fez looked up, a determined look flashed across his eyes.
“I’m not letting you go alone, Feghouli,” Taris said, in a calmer voice this time, “I volunteer myself to lead the mission, I’ve had more experience than you could ever imagine at this type of situation, let me do what I’m good at and we can go together, otherwise get out of my way and I’ll go alone.” Fez pondered the issue for a while, staring the athletic Ioution up and down, her demeanour growing ever more impatient has he dallied on his decision.
“Alright,” he finally nodded, “I’ll gather a team and we will meet in the conference room in fifteen minutes,” his face hardened with a serious expression and tone, “We will have a structured and solid approach to this, Taris, I know how you worked in the past but this is my vessel, while I’m happy for you to take charge, our plan will not involve just slamming a shuttle into the hull and hoping for the best.”
“… You heard about that, did you?” Taris looked down in embarrassment.
“I did,” Fez said dryly. Shaking her head, Taris quickly turned and retreated out from the bridge and away from the heat, escaping to anywhere but there. The time for action was now and this was something Fez knew so he wasted no time and proceeded down into the ships depths, heading towards the armoury where the Ioution marines would no doubt have taken a shining to. The walk provided him some much needed time to reflect on the whole situation, the blank walls provided no external stimuli for his mind to process and allowed him to focus solely on what the team's plan would be. Taris would be a problem he knew, he was unsure on her actual affections towards the Human but he did know her past and it was that which he worried about. She had always been in the spotlight, being the daughter of a prominent minister her every action was over-analysed and torn apart at every opportunity, such was the ravenous hunger of the galactic news networks, she hadn’t truly seen peace while serving in the Ioution fleet. Since leaving, her activities were well hidden, the path she chose wasn’t the most glamourous but it allowed her privacy, at least some semblance of it.
Arriving at the armoury, he looked around at the soldiers which gave him a knowing signal, a single hand to the left shoulder, showing their respect and that he was welcomed amongst their group, for all their years of supposedly being this sector's shining beacon, the Ioution race as a whole was still fractured, individual groups keeping to themselves. “Commander, I will need you and your men assembled in the conference room as soon as possible,” Fez said, his posture sharpening in the presence of the well-armed soldiers.
“Of course, Captain, may I enquire as to the situation?” the commanding officer asked in his most formal tone.
“You may,” Fez replied, “We have an urgent situation that requires some amount of tact and deft work, I feel you and your men are uniquely suited to such a task,” the compliment drew veiled smiles from all who were present, it wasn’t often a Captain would so openly praise anyone lesser in rank.
“I am honoured, Captain, we will be with you as soon as possible,” the Commander said, placing a clenched fist into his shoulder, nodding. Fez stepped over the bulkhead and away from the armoury, mystified as to why the soldiers kept up with their archaic ways. Rushing through the corridors, the main threat may have been quelled, but this new danger was something far worse, something he knew as a race they would have to deal with eventually. Stopping, he opened a display on the wall and accessed what little information they currently had on the city-sized object, its power readings were massive, rivalled only by the very largest Ioution fleet carriers. So far, no weaponry had been detected, or even fired, which surprised him, a ship of this size would need some form of defence. It was shaped like an upside-down pyramid, one that had been squashed at both sides, its large ridged rear spiked out with multiple antennae from its dark, broken surface.
Stepping into the conference room he saw Taris, who by her own standards looked calm and ready for the impending operation, her blonde hair flowed from either side of the tight helmet which squeezed her features together, if there wasn’t such a sombre mood in the air, he would almost certainly find it amusing. “Captain,” she nodded, her large purple eyes were filled with determination, she looked towards Fez with a hunger to get on with it, her impatience had cost her dearly in the past.
“The others are on their way,” Fez spoke while seating himself at the head of the oval metallic table, “Take a seat, Taris,” he said, motioning to the chair beside him. She plodded across the room, cautious of what Fez had to say.
“What is it, Captain,” she asked in a formal tone, trying her best to butter him up.
“Look,” Fez started, sitting back comfortably in his egg-shaped chair, “I don’t know how you actually feel about him and I personally do not need to know, you two seem to have a good rapport, but if there is anything I cannot have it affecting the mission, is that understood?”
“… Yes, Captain,” Taris whispered, placing her folded arms onto the table, “You won’t have to worry about me.”
“Thank you,” Fez breathed a sigh of relief as the soldiers walked through the open hatch, each taking their own seat around the table. Scanning the room, he trusted the group he had assembled with his life, it was certainly the best the Mar’Ell could offer, anyway, and he knew every one of them would do what was necessary to rescue Sean, they were not just saving a friend, but an ambassador to the newest Ioution ally. “Great,” Fez smiled, standing up and flicking on a large blue display which stretched across the wall, “Let’s get to planning, then.”
* * *
“Ugh,” Sean let out, “Where am I?” his vision was blurred and impacted from the experience he had just suffered. Groggy, he wiped his hands across the surface he was laying on, it was hot and throbbed to the touch, a thin covering of slime stuck to his palms as he pulled them away. Rubbing his eyes with his wrist, his vision began to sharpen, he was in a square room, the walls looked as if they were covered with dark brown scabs that had been plastered on top of a green layer of slime. The mucus that formed the underside of the walls was luminous and let off a faint light that lit his general vicinity, looking down at his hands they too glowed a faint green, that’s disgusting he thought, wiping the goop onto his trousers.
Turning, he noticed the front of his cell, the entire wall was constructed from what appeared to be the same type of tentacles that attacked the original Arrakis, they swayed with their own motion, letting off a disconcerting slurping sound as they moved. Feeling around in his pockets he searched for anything which might help him, but the only object they had left him with was a pen he used for finer control of the Mar’Ell’s terminals, if he was going to escape from here it would be with wits rather than brawn, something which he knew didn’t suit him.
Pacing around the cells perimeter, he ran his hand over the throbbing walls which enclosed him, gathering up a thick layer of the goo on a single palm he lashed his hand out towards the swaying tendrils throwing the build-up. In a fi
t of frustration, he kicked out towards the nearest wall and to his surprise it was pliable, it contorted around his foot and snapped back into place when he stopped applying pressure, interesting he thought. Bending down he grabbed the pen from his pocket and drove it into the surface, this time, the wall hardened into a concrete-like structure, blocking him from trying to slice his way out with the blunt end of a useless piece of equipment. Defeated, he slumped down in the corner of the room, the back of his clothes absorbing slime as he slid down the wall into a wet puddle of mess, all he could do now was wait, wait for his captors to arrive and drag him away to the darkest dungeons he could imagine. They’ll come and get me right? he thought, his grim imagination ran wild, … right?
Pushing himself up off the floor he charged the tendrils blocking his exit, his shoulder impacting against the sticky surface, the seemingly alive bars bent outwards with the force before snapping back into place sharply, sending him staggering back. He continued to assault the only exit to the room but had no success, they would reform and send him scurrying back to whence he came.
The wait came to an end as the tendrils receded into the floor, flailing around wildly as they did, he stood as a large Xuron stepped through into his cell carrying a large pole-like weapon with a buzzing orange ball of light that seemed to float from its end. He was unsure what to do, time moved slowly as he weighed up his options, does he charge the guard with no weapon other than a glorified stylus, or go along with their demands, whatever they may be, and hope the crew from the Mar’Ell arrive just in time to save him. “I don’t live in a fairy-tale,” he whispered out loud as he pushed himself off the wall and charged towards the Xuron guard, his feet slammed into the hot ground as he raced along his cell, but before he could notice, two tendrils shot out from openings in the floor and wrapped themselves around his legs, lifting him into the air. He flailed about trying his best to break free, only the heavy stomps of the approaching guard snapped him back into the reality he was in, he dangled upside down, face to face with the battle-scarred enemy that stood motionless, only looking him up and down before prodding him with his weapon, sending a massive shock down his body that sent him into convulsions.
