Scavengers: Dark Dreams

by Allan J. Stark

  A deafening roar filled the air as she raced up the shaft. The spotlight on her helmet did not have the power to penetrate the night ahead, but Nea did not worry about it, almost blindly shooting herself into the unknown. She had excellent responsiveness and her adrenaline was pumping. Her fatigue faded. Like a nimble fish in a nocturnal, icy stream, Nea flew away. The wind blew coldly over her face, until she suddenly came back to her senses.

  What’s the matter with me, she wondered. At first I am saddened to death, then a little song is enough to get me into the best mood ever. Nea felt like a spring which had been squeezed and then suddenly released. “What’s wrong with me?”, Nea asked herself. “Am I just losing my mind?”

  She turned off the jetdrive, made a complete turn, and once again fired the rockets. A brief glowing flurry of fire flared up, powerful enough to make an abrupt stop. This maneuver quickly deprived her of consciousness. Then she became sick.

  “Damn!” She gasped, angry. “I’m about to kill myself.”

  For a long time she hung motionless in the air. She felt the fear sneaking back. This feeling approached like a stalking cat. As if she could gain some distance that way, Nea slid slowly away using her jetpack, with more caution. She tried to escape from the shadow near her, which was already stretching its arms out for her. Suddenly she was embraced by warm, friendly sunlight. Bright and radiant, it lit up everything around her. She dived into it, like into a bath of liquid gold.

  Nea had reached an intermediate deck, she noticed. The sun had shone through a gallery of high windows, into the large room. They were so wide that a man could pass them effortlessly, reaching from the floor to the ceiling of the hall. It all looked as sublime and valuable as a throne room in a castle of the Old Kingdom. This style was probably the most popular design here, Nea concluded. Unlike the usual darkness inside the Fayroo, it seemed cheerful and solemn in the sunlight. The sun was beautiful in its frame of this arcade of windows. And all the more so since Nea thought that she had not seen the sun for days.

  As if pushed back, Nea headed for the light. It lay pleasantly warm on her skin. The scene began to change. Nea saw a bright blue sky, speckled with white, fuzzy clouds. The sun stood over a turquoise sea. A lukewarm wind swept over her face, containing the scent of salt and sea grass. Foam-covered waves rushed onto the beach, wetting their naked feet. She felt the sand running away under the soles of her feet, as the wave retreated and took small grains with it. It tickled under her feet. Nea felt that she was back in her childhood. Back to a wonderful sunny day on an exotic beach. Everything seemed familiar to her. She was not afraid. There was nothing to fear.

  She thought she heard a voice calling her to come into the water.

  “Swim in this marvelous ocean.”

  The words danced around her head. They were like a whispering voice. The voice was soft and friendly. Sometimes closer, sometimes farther away.

  “Hover between its warm waves.”

  Nea hesitated. It was hard to say what was reality and what was vision. But as if to encourage her, a foaming wave rolled up and crashed against her. The salty water rose up to her knees, bubbly and hissing. When it flowed back, it dragged on Nea’s legs. The pull was powerful, so that she involuntarily took a step forward.

  Frightened, Nea reached out for the window frame. She felt a gentle but definite pressure between the shoulder blades, which instantly ceased as she became aware of it. The dream faded. The voice was gone, the sound of the sea silenced, and the ocean was gone.

  “What in all the skies was that?”, Nea gasped. “What’s going on here?”

  She looked closer at the windows. There was no glass in the frames. There seemed to be nothing grasping or visible between her and the depths of space. Curiously, Nea held her hand out into space. A fine layer of glittering ice appeared on her glove and her fingers became cold. Nea formed a fist. Small ice particles dissolved like swirling snowflakes. As she pulled her hand back, the white layer melted and the glove began to shine. Waterdrops fell.

  “A force field,” Nea whispered. It holds the atmosphere inside the Fayroo. There was power here that keeps all important systems alive. Nea turned and walked around the room. Thoughtfully, she let the last minutes – or maybe hours – pass before her inner eye.

  She took another look at the windows. Nea almost went out into the void, with her visor open. The dream that had tricked her had gone far beyond the intensity of a normal dream. But the beauty and fascination of the vision came from an evil intent. If Nea had not realized this, she would now be flying dead in the endless space. But where there is intention, there is also intelligence, Nea considered. And Nea seemed to come closer to that intelligence. Whoever it was, it tried to kill Nea. It seems that he or she was full of fear and afraid that Nea could find out where it hides.

  While she was thinking, she noticed that the incident light illuminated a half-open sluice. There was another room behind the shining door wings. Nea stepped through the gap and found herself on a footbridge, which ran a few kilometers into a huge hall. The bridge crossed a huge artificial canyon. To the left and right were ships, which somehow reminded Nea of insects. They were threatening and sinister. There had to be hundreds of them in this giant hanger.

  In this form, a Fay was not just a ring. In some systems, the gates were also called Sargon Crowns or Dragon Diadems. To be exact, a Fay indeed had the shape of a crown, and in the beams of that crown there was obviously a variety of battleships and all sorts of war equipment that someone had stationed there. Nea shuddered at the thought that the Fayroo was nothing but a fortresses, waiting for the command to be launched, with all its aggressive power.

  Carefully Nea pulled back again. She stifled the strange feeling that she was being watched by the ships and stepped back into the sun-drenched hall. Again gloomy melancholy gathered and took possession of her. This happened as quickly and abruptly as if a serpent had emerged from its hiding place.

  Determined, Nea lowered her visor and walked steadily to the center of the hall. She had to go on the attack, instead of remaining in a defensive position. The more she showed resistance, the more she got the impression that her opponent would face the struggle. Nea drew enormous strength from the realization that this was a duel. The more they tried to protect the mystery, the greater Nea’s will to win the fight against her unknown opponent. More and more she was encouraged in her assumption to come closer to a decisive discovery and to drive her opponent into a narrow end. From her experience she knew: the closer to a secret, the harder the fight.

  The harder the fight, that much bigger the prey, Nea thought defiantly. She resumed her expedition with renewed ambition and reentered the shaft and its eerie shadows. The last pale glimmer that dawned into the tunnel from the sun-drenched hall quickly disappeared. Nea chased through the night. Her headlight bravely burned a pale hole in the darkness.

  Chapter 7

  The shaft rejuvenated and ended in many branches. Nea switched off the jetpack and hovered without thrust, until she was unexpectedly grabbed by a gravitational field. As if caught by the fingers of a relentless fist, Nea was torn out of her flight and thrown on the ground. She slipped many meters over the metal plates of the tunnel floor. She bounced repeatedly against the walls until she fell out of the tunnel, which ended abruptly, carrying her into another room. Nea rolled down a short stairway and slithered into a wide, dark hall.

  For a while she lay on the ground and stared into the darkness. Her whole body hurt. Her breathing was heavy and her pulse was pounding, like after a marathon. Nea waited a while before she straightened herself up, with aching legs.

  A wide beam of bright sunlight fell into this room. It came through a single round opening. A broad, bright beam, which was not able to fully illuminate the surroundings . The whole room was black and everything shone like polished basalt. The walls of irregular shapes created an image, as if it were made out of wires and cables. A moist, oily glimmer lay on everything. Nea thought she was i
nside the body of an ancient monster, between muscles, tendons, and organs.

  She felt helpless. Pain everywhere. Nea cursed her inattention. And there was still no contact to her ship and to Ogo, who, for sure, had begun searching for his organic friend.

  “How could I be so stupid?”, she whispered. “You should be more careful if you have installed rockets on your back.”

  Then she turned to a pedestal which rose in the middle of the room. She could recognize a tall, feminine figure. It sat there like a sphinx. Eyes closed, self-absorbed, looking into the inner depths, meditating. From the figure, a myriad of tubes went out, which seemed to be the natural continuation of her body. A Medusa-like statue. Threatening, horrible, and yet beautiful. A very ambivalent feeling rose into Nea’s chest. Fascination and fear.

  Nea moved closer, cautiously climbing over the thick tentacles which covered the ground like sleeping giant snakes. She came closer until she could see more filigree details on the figure. The towering statue had a dark core under a finger-thick, crystalline layer. Nea climbed on a short pillar, stood on her toes, and was now at face height with the mystic Medusa. It was a female face that could be seen under the transparent cover. Divided into all spectral colors, the sunlight penetrated the transparent surface and drew colorful reflections on the figure’s skin. Nea finally opened the helmet visor to see more details. Her nose almost touched the wonderfully strange face, on which the light broke a million times, smashed into tiny glittering shards. The creature under the crystal had a gold-brown skin color. The eyelids seemed darkened. Eyelashes and eyebrows deep black. Nea was startled. That was a living body, covered with a clear, glassy material.

  Suddenly the figure opened its eyes. Nea was paralyzed with horror. Her mouth opened, but nothing came out, not even a scream. At first, the Medusa’s gaze was straight, passing Nea, but slowly the dark pupils turned to her. Her glance was penetrating and deep, like the universe itself. Cold and burning, with the fire of a thousand suns.

  Nea took a thoughtless step and fell to the ground. She tried to bring space between herself and the Sphinx. She staggered backwards, trembling with fear, which finally drove her against the wall at the other end of the chamber. The angry eyes watched every movement of Nea’s escape. Her eyes stared at Nea like two guns – and Nea, who could not turn away, dared to face the eyes of the sphinx again. With all her might, she struggled to withstand, but she was too small and too weak. The being, however, opposed her, strongly and superiorly. Her gaze imperious, penetrating, and hardened in the quiet glow of countless ages.

  At last Nea raised her hands in front of her face and sank to her knees. She wanted to scream, but her throat was too tight to let any sound escape. There was only a soft sobbing. She turned away and began to whimper. She did not know what drove the hot tears in her eyes, which were now running over her cheeks. It was not her fear. As quick as her panic appeared, so it also vanished. What remained was more like a feeling of happiness. Would she lose her mind? Or had she already lost it? Did going crazy feel like this? For a long time she sat there, thoughtfully and without fear, and pressed her hands to her eyes. But whether she wanted to or not, she slowly raised her head and spread her fingers. Uncontrollably, Nea had an urge to focus on the frightening sculpture, just as a compass needle was forced to align. Nea stared at the terrible eyes, powerful and penetrating like two suns. But they were closed now, turned away from the world, and dipped again into an everlasting dream.

  “Do not be afraid,” Nea heard a voice in her head say. “So far you've been very courageous to me.” The words sounded loud. A bell could not sound clearer and more celestial. She could not tell from where the words came. And she didn’t recognize any trace of cynicism or mockery in them. No doubt, it was the sphinx with the Medusa head who spoke to her. The heart of the gate. A Kiray who let her words flow directly into Nea’s mind.

  “I know you better than you think,” the Sphinx continued, and Nea thought she heard laughing. “But I wonder if you can remember. Me, and all the fun we had. So many thousands of years ago.”

  Nea did not know how to answer. And even if she did, her tongue was like a stone in her mouth. Her lips were still sealed in astonishment. Instead, she stared at the sphinx, while her heart pounded in excitement.

  “I want to show you something, the being said finally. “That I may be wrong, is almost impossible.”

  In that moment, Nea’s environment blurred into a swirl of light and shadow. It was as if she had fallen into a tornado of light and darkness, which seemed to throw her into another dimension. But soon chaos began to form silhouettes. Luminous colors flowed into the black and displaced the darkness. The world began to re-emerge. The blurred silhouettes took shape more and more, until Nea could see almost familiar forms. Clearly, like a freshly painted picture, a landscape of hills and green forests stretched under her feet, traversed by the shining veins of countless rivers that had shone in the sunlight. A sky of such pure blue that it hurt the eyes rose above her. Snow-capped mountains glowed in the distance. The air was cool, as it is on a spring morning, just when winter has passed. Nea stood on a green hill whose high grass was bent by gentle gusts of wind . A peaceful and calming scene of breathtaking beauty. Suddenly thundering echoed through the air, followed by pressure waves, which were palpable, like being punched in the stomach. A roar filled Nea’s ears and made the ground tremble beneath her feet. As she lifted her head, she saw a fleet of gold-glowing ships, directly falling from the orbit, and taking formation over the landscape. Nea noticed that she was not alone on the hill from which she looked over this strange world. Behind her stood a group of warriors, and they had obviously been there quite a while. They were men and women, wrapped in shimmering armor. Armor which, at first glance, seemed to be useful, like light space suits. Only on closer inspection did they reveal playful details and ornaments. A large, martial ship, which was landed behind the group of people, Oponi and Akkato, dominated the scene. It might be five times as big as the Nova and it was bursting with cannons. But it also had many decorative details that made it look magnificent and royal. Nea could not assign it to any standard series. None of the noble houses of Asgaroon had created such a fancy and marvelous design, as far as Nea knew.

  The warriors who had gathered before it continued to take no notice of Nea. Apparently, they were surrounded by a number of strategic holograms that gave them information about the planet’s and the fleet’s movements. Suddenly, a woman emerged from the group and walked towards Nea with quick and determined steps. She was tall and seemed to be an Oponi–human hybrid. The big eyes, the prominent cheekbones, and the protruding mouth suggested this presumption. She had long brown hair, which was braided into several thick plaits. Before Nea could escape, she had come and passed through her as if Nea were one of her holograms.

  Nea turned to see where the woman was going, but then the ships above opened fire. Luminous energy projectiles hit the woods and made them burst into flames. The earth broke under the force of the bullets . Artificial structures came to light. A complex cave system, full of spaceships and a variety of war equipment. Most of them were buried under rock, rubble, and earth. But some of them made a successful take off. They rose quickly, and returned fire. They created a lot of damage, although they had taken some hits and many fell to the ground. One of the large ships from the fleet, which was apparently commanded by the great half-Oponi, fell from the sky like a blazing comet.

  The scene changed. Nea was in the middle of a forest. Tall ferns and horsetail surrounded her. Bright sunlight passed through the branches in long streaks. Again, a fight raged. The brunette woman defended herself with humming blades and energy weapons which were built into her armor. From the crowns of the trees, nightmare creatures fell down, raining down on her warriors and guards. Nea saw biting tools, as long as sickles, spikes like spears, and gripping tongues that were able to penetrate any armor. Several soldiers fell or lost arms and legs. The crackling of energy charges and battle cries
filled the air. One of the spiderlike creatures came close. His jaws tore open and hot saliva splashed against Nea’s face. She was unable to react. Fascinated, she stared at the silvery iridescent animal, as the half-Oponi intervened and slammed her blade into the creature’s skull, between the many pairs of eyes. But the picture changed again. Nea stood in the dust of a red desert, over which a red sky was glooming. The sun burnt, the air felt hot, like right out of the throat of a volcano. On the horizon, the slender towers of a city rose, white as ivory. It was lying under a glittering protective umbrella that had just collapsed. The bursts from the guns of a fleet, high above the city, hit the buildings, and many of the towers collapsed. Like in time-lapse, the city sank into ruins, until only a smoldering mountain of rubble remained. When Nea looked around, she saw the tall woman standing in the red sand, surrounded by the wreckage of countless spaceships, the smoking wrecks of ground vehicles, and other combat equipment. Many of their soldiers lay dead on the desert sand, in between the bodies of insectoid creatures. A blond woman stood next to the warrior. She too was wrapped in shimmering armor, golden and decorated with rich ornaments. Nea could not see the face. The sinking sun stood glaringly over the horizon, dazzling Nea’s eyes. A moment later the world was remodeled and Nea again found herself in a gigantic hall. It had to be a hangar, because battalions of heavy combat ships, hunters, and transporters were staged here. To her left a huge bulkhead yawned through which she could look down at a green planet. Nea realized that she was placed in the front row of a huge legion of soldiers, who had been suited in magnificent and shining armor. She saw banners and signs, with richly decorated symbols. Eagles, griffins, dragons, lions, and other beasts were piled on it in thick embroidery.