37 (DSV Nautica) Drowning
Flare let out a sigh, overlooking the ruins below her. The natives were undergoing some kind of ritual tonight, a rite of passage that all had to follow. It was fascinating, needless to say, but she had other thoughts on her mind. She had overheard their leader speaking. It had taken quite a bit, but she managed to translate what they had been saying, as well as the half draconid with them.It seemed the half-breed had been sent here by some means, probably will related. The smaller ones, the Plekti, had been created here long ago and disavowed technology altogether.Flare was scared. Not so much of being abandoned on this rock. That was bad, but they weren't hopeless. They had already established a small underground base and found some food supplies, but that wasn't the issue.It all started some time ago, the tribe leader, was referring to the weave, or the fabric of everything that is. And their place in the weave. Normally this wouldn't be a big deal, but it struck home for Flare.The weave was very important to these people. They had accepted a simple life in spite of their great gifts, and hey, each to their own.
But the thought had struck Flare hard. What was her place in this 'Weave'? The Ayr'een empire had always made it their mission to collect all the knowledge they could, but for too long had Flare gone along and accepted it was her place to assist in that mission. She had accepted her place when she was with her people, but now that she was relatively alone out her she heard a voice in her head. It was her voice. A conscience that had been poorly neglected. It simply asked her if this was what she wanted to do.The half-breed down there had been a star captain, but she was accepting this place as her home. Flare hugged her knees tightly, a pit growing in her stomach. This life was peaceful out here. So simple and straightforward. If the half-breed down there could make such a lifestyle change...she could as well.The ceremony was beginning, and the half-breed descended into the cave. Flare had checked it out earlier. The memory of what happened made her blood run cold. That made her seriously step back and consider all things.
...Earlier....Lyn rushed though the sunken halls, guided only by an orb of light she had willed into existence. The Thanatos was dead. Completely dead and sinking fast. She had to find the way out, but the ways out were flooding with rushing water, not to mention the ship was going nose down. The adrenaline was coursing through her system, blocking out the pain.The floor rocked beneath her feet, causing her to tumble, and extinguishing the light. Her chest burst into pain, causing her to scream bloody murder. It was true, utter darkness in the ship, with the haunting groans of the superstructure around her. She panted, waiting for the water to rush over her, thinking
that between the pain, the dark, and the water, it was over. It was not.Despite being underwater, the Thanatos was tilted forward, its rear end slanted at an upward angle, fairly steep. Lyn heard water, but she didn't sense it getting any closer. Reigniting the light, she slowly crept forward, holding her chest and gritting her teeth to hold back the pain. The water was at a dead stop, holding about 5 meters down the hallway, sloshing up the sides, but not advancing. The ship must have trapped the air in here, like a giant air bubble. With nowhere to escape, the water could not take the place of the air. Though it seemed to be compressing it as Lyns ears popped. She had to get out or get squished by air pressure.
She sat for a bit and took a moment to tenderly feel the searing pain in her chest. She suddenly felt sick to her stomach and had to fight to keep herself from throwing up. She could feel one of her ribs had broken, nice and cleanly in half. It was almost poking through the skin. She quivered, but now that she was aware of the pain, she gasped as it jabbed at her. Biting her lip, she took a deep breath, and used her will and hands to force the bones back together correctly and mend the break. She had never felt anything like it. Her scream echoed through the ship. But the bone was sealed back together. A small application of will healed the break and bruising. She slowly got to her feet. Sore, but no longer damaged. She began her descent. She took a moment to rest her hand on the ship. The thing had died when it hit the water. As much as they treated the ships like equipment, they did have feelings to a degree. Older ships, like the dreadnaughts back home, had a fully developed conscience.Chilly water touched her ankle, causing her to let out a shocked yip and jerk her foot away. She hadn't moved...why was the water creeping up on her? She retreated slightly, taking a deep breath, when she realized it. The water was compressing the air inside the ship. She had to bail before the air pressure crushed her from the inside out.
With no other choice, she took a deep breath, extended her suit around her face to act as a respiratory device, and quickly waded into the water. The cold penetrated her suit even with its thermal shielding. Usually her will would have kept her warm in space, but between being alone, lost, in the dark, and underwater, warmth was secondary right now to getting out of this place. She took a deep breath, filtering oxygen out of the water, but it wasn't much. She got half a lungful, not the ideal amount of air under any circumstances.Twisting and turning through the halls of the ship, she managed to get to the general vicinity of the hangar bay.hm...this looks to be the right wa-A sudden current caught her, dragging her back toward the back of the ship. Frantically grabbing at the walls, she managed to grab onto a
corner. Her body was sore all over. She had bounced off several walls during her tumble. This thing was like a riptide. What in the hell was this?She tried her best to pull herself against the current, but to no avail. She ship must be still flooding somewhere, and this was the water rushing to fill up the empty spots. Holding on was beginning to get tiresome, but if she let go, she was gonna be battered to death. Or to severe injury. Might as well be the same thing down here.
Focusing with all the energy she had, she began enveloping herself with a shield, curving the water around her. She took in as much air as she could, and with a giant mental push, hauled herself forward and rocketed through the water, directly toward the hangar bay. She was going to make it! No, wait...with inches to spare, she grabbed onto the door frame of the exit and gave another push, shooting out into the completely flooded hangar. She felt a small pull from the water, but brushed it off easily. That had been quite a scare for her.It was pitch black down here. If her suit hadn't been inscribed with will circuits, she would have imploded instantly. Swimming upward was much easier than swimming out of that wreck. ...Present...."Jump the fleet." Loki's cool voice commanded. The rumbling of the jump drive engaged, a screech, and the exit. The monitors flashed all white for a split second before compensating."Captain Loki...we appear to have a wormhole." Kal'un'ar announced excitedly.Tor'y'nach had been recalled to the engineering center ,but was still determined where all that will power had gone. It would have to come later.
"Report on the wormhole?""The modified weapons successfully collapsed the star. As for what created the wormhole...I cannot say." His assistant looked troubled, as did he."The captain probably knows something we don't. I'm assuming a second component to the weapons that tore open space here. And on their side...somehow."Tor frowned. They were good. Not that good. Something was fishy."Alright then. Just...forget about it for now. Focus on your station."The assistant nodded and ran off, leaving Tor to think this over. "Fleet, we have a special announcement to make."The voice rang though all of their heads. That voice was the Matriarch, their supreme leader. Despite not being present, all bodies snapped to attention both physically and mentally as a show of respect.The Matriarch leaned back, focusing on the pocket of space."I appointed Captain Loki to be the leader of this expedition. That still holds true, but am promoting the good Captain to Rear admiral. She will command the fleet and establish a perimeter on the other side. Keep the wormhole safe, and yourselves along with it. This is the first serious push
this empire is going to make on AU-945. Lets do it.."
Cheers erupted around the fleet, but officers quickly snapped everyone back to attention. There was an air of excited nervousness in the air. This would either go very well, or very badly.