Silence filled the room with soft flashes of light following in its steps. Slowly the illumination became brighter and the room was lit up. Heavy footsteps break the silence and with it came three people, two of which were clad in sleek black armor that covered every inch of their skin except for the eyes to which had thick red lens that obscured the eyes. Trailing behind the two was a man who stood a head taller than both and wearing a cloak that covered most of his frame leaving only his legs exposed, which was made up of gears and cogs that shifted and squirmed to better endure the shifting weight of the man with each step.
As the group reached the center of the room it started to transform. At the center a throne emerged from the floor with cords stemming from the bottom of it. Across from the throne, the wall lowered to reveal the endless abyss of space and with it multiple space crafts of varying sizes, with that a myriad of towers started to emerge from the floor roaring as they arose.
Both of the armor figures circled the throne checking and prodding for anomalies. Once their inspection was finished they each took position beside the throne and beckoned the cloaked figure to sit. With no hesitation the man disrobed himself and with that his frame was revealed to the world. From his chest downward was mechanical, a combination of wires, servos and artificial muscles that creaked and hummed as he sat down. As for his face a bulky visor took the place of his eyes and a steel plate curved over his forehead and covered the entire top and back of his skull. In place of his ears are circular muffs that seem almost welded in place. Of his original form only his mouth and nose remain most unaltered with a few glowing lines stretching from his mouth down his neck where it slowly blends between machine and man.
Once the man is fully seated the two armor figures start grabbing wires that stretch from the throne and inserting them into the man. With each wire placed the room pulses with light and the towers among the room start to grind and click. After all the wires have been inserted the two figures give the man a salute and with heavy strides they leave and under baited breath one murmurs “May the gods watch over you.” and shoots one last look before continuing onwards.
As the man was left alone, the lights in the room proceeded to intensify in front of him before coalescing into the form of a woman with a stalwart stature and garbed in rugged military attire. Turning her head side to side she gave the room a quick scan and then proceeded to focus on the man before holding her arms behind her back, with a gruff tone she spoke “ Sirrus, the mission is almost upon us, have preparations been made?”
In a voice that sounded sharp and as if two people were talking just out of sync he replied “ Affirmative, all systems are in working order.”
Giving a nod she proceeded to turn toward the vast space behind her “There is a chance this is going to be a one way trip, phase shifting has yet to be properly tested. But the clock is ticking and we no longer have the time to wait.” the lady spoke with a steady tone that wavered at the end.
Sirrus took a moment to take in her words and drummed his fingers across the arms of the throne then proceeded to speak “ Then I will just have to make my own way back like I have done time and time again.”
Flicking her head to face Sirrus and with a scornful look across her face and a soft tone she spoke “This isn’t like your previous endeavors. You will be shifted directly into the center of the Altcore’s home planetary system. At all sides you will be surrounded and with that you will have to fight through their defenses leading to the central matrix. We have done the most we can by phasing you through their primary gate, there are not enough people left to pull a distraction nor to pilot your armada. This is our only chance for the survival of the human race. If the matrix is destroyed Altcore will fall and all supported machines will deactivate.”
Sirrus stopped drumming his fingers across the throne and brought his left hand up to support his chin as he leaned forward and stated “ I have never known failure and this time isn't going to be an exception. As for the pilots I have no need for them, my technomancy knows no limits, this is but child's play. ”
Waving his right hand at the myriad of crafts, they began to move and fall into formation with inhuman precision. Bringing his right hand back down he continued “ This mission will succeed, however has the alteration to the payload’s craft been applied?”
Giving a moment of silence the woman spoke once more “ Yes , a FTL core has been installed instead of the normal drive core and the ethereum cloak has been installed as well.”
Sirrus gave nod “Good, how long before the phase shift begins”
Turning her head to face space once more “ Five minutes till shift, don’t waste this chance. We have lost a lot of people trying to bypass the gate, as for finding the matrix you will be able to feel its call and that should lead you directly to it. Don't let it take control of you. May we see each other again, it's been an honor.” With those words her image blurred and dissipated leaving Sirrus alone.
Placing both of his hands on the arms of the throne he leaned back, screens of different points of view started to appear in his vision and numbers counting down till the shift as well. Taking a deep breath the world seemed to slow to a crawl around him making each second feel longer than the last. Letting his mind stretch to the surrounding areas, he let his mind submerge with each craft and explore their inner workings and feel the hum of the engines and the weight of the gravity repulsion thrusters upon his mind. With each ship he could feel his mind aching and growing heavier and in response the towers around the room came to life helping shoulder his burdens.
Today he was alive and he could feel his heart beating at a slow and steady pace, the feelings of fear and anxiety could never find hold in his mind for he was built to never fear. Emotions are something the federation saw a weakness that gave way to failure, so removed what they could and dull what they couldn’t. But today he could feel even with how dull it was. It was like static flowing up and down his spine and circling around his heart.
Doubts held no place in his mind, but for once he had a troubling thought that would not disappear. What was to come after this to him? This war would be over and he would be free of it, but warfare and battle was all that he knew. Would they set him on a pedestal to view and hold or set him to sleep for ages beyond for when his purpose might return. Or would a coffin be what awaited him when he came back.
As he was deep in thought, the space in front of the fleet started to fold and crack, looking at the time five seconds remained till shift. Now the only thoughts rattling in his mind is if the tether will actually function and rip him from the payload's destruction. Four seconds remained, spreading his mind over the box that was supposed to be his retreat, nothing could be felt; it was as if it was never there in the first place. Three seconds left, if things came down to it his dive core was his fall back, it was theoretically fast enough to out pace the blast. Two seconds remained, he cleared his mind and let all of those thoughts disappear and let only the mission remain. One second remained, Time seemed to halt as he set thrust to max. Feeling all the crafts come to life before his eyes. Finally the space in front of his fleet collapsed and a rift appeared swallowing him and the fleet.
With no delay Sirrus had found himself surrounded from all angles with crafts that were unorthodox in shape and seemed to move as if momentum was non-existent taking turns sharper than anything he had ever seen. Then came the overwhelming presence that seemed to call to his very soul, it whispered sweet nothings to his mind telling him if he were to just let go he could have anything. Clenching his teeth and fists he ignored the visions that clouded his mind and focused on the calling in the distance. With his estimations it was about five minutes away at full speed, that is ignoring the swarm of horrid machines before him.
Combat had begun, his craft had already been in formation forming a cocoon around his vessel and the payloads craft. Activating the ethereum cloak, he watched as the craft disappeared from view and radar. Turning his attention back to the formation, he swapped the outer ships and the inners to try to preserve shielding as much as he could. Watching as the swarm crashed and fired from all angles, alarms flared throughout his vision every second, he thought to himself that this is a nightmare.
Plowing through the swarm he could feel each ship warping and bending under the blows, doing his best he focused on trying to repair the damages. With his mind grappling each ship commanding the metal to return to its original form. In the end he was met with intense resistance. Altcore was influencing more than his mind, crafts constantly tried to escape his grasp and turn on him. Blood and other fluids began to drip from his orifices, banging and the sizzling seem to echo around him. Turning his head towards the towers that had helped him, it was revealed that they were slowly failing, some had melted while others imploded in on themselves. It seems that this venture is going to be quite harder than he originally thought.
With each second passed volleys of lasers and slugs were exchanged, the closer he got the more intense the pressure on his mind and fleet became. Heavier ordnance began and raining down upon him, sacrifices had to be made, smaller crafts became shields for the bigger crafts taking shots that would have crippled the large crafts at the cost of their own destruction. Reserves began to dwindle, Sirrus fingers began to burrow into the arms of the throne, he could feel he was almost there. Each second in this battlefield felt like an eternity of torture, the soft whispers had turned into the screams of the damned. It clawed and gnawed, struggling like a rat to get into his mind.
An explosion occurred above him to which the impact jerked his ship down and left the craft rumbling, the formation had been breached and a gaping hole had appeared above him. It was time for him to personally take part in this dog fight, commanding the craft to face upwards, he was greeted by the remains of the Tolpa. It had taken a scrambler torpedo directly to center mass, which had split the craft right down the middle. Seeing the ship that had accompanied him for almost his entire career go up in flames made his blood boil.
Taking count of the number of enemy crafts, Sirrus began to deploy artillery in the hundreds, firing them as fast as his craft could muster, from Atomizers to A-43 disassemblers Sirrus gave the swarm a tidal wave of munitions that fell upon them. Cannons roared and the Gauss launchers sang, barrels began to burn red like the sun. In his fury Sirrus took control of the projectiles and personally guided them towards their targets.
As in response the swarm coming through the breach started to spread out and dispersed, however this did nothing to help them evade the incoming projectiles. As they could make a turn at a moment's notice, so could the missiles and slugs. Evasive actions began, the machines zip side to side and stopped in the middle of their ascensions to bolt in a different direction. In the end Sirrus's control was supreme, Projectiles began to impact one after the other. Explosions bloomed all around his craft, it was almost like stars had been born upon the battlefield. Sensing evasion was pointless the swarm began to switch tactics upon him and unloaded whatever ordinances they had left upon his position.
Upon seeing the sea of lasers and plasma barreling toward him, the dive core came to life with a blaring cry that made the craft feel alive. In an instant his craft sunk into a different layer of space humming as it went. Watching as the waves of incoming fire passed over him, Sirrus remerged and the dive core let out an ear piercing hiss as it vented the heat. Drifting across the battlefield he avoided the remaining projectiles with intense precision, letting out a sharp exhale he glanced towards the hole in the formation watching as it slowly expanded. Trying to find another ship to take the Tulpa's position, his mind scoured the battlefield, but it seemed no craft could take it position at the moment without the formation weakening even more.Taking matters into his own hands he took the Tulpas place. He was close and he could feel it, screams had transformed into howls of madness that made his blood run cold. Furthermore, visions of his demise were being shown to him. Images of him being slowly flayed alive and tortured filled his mind, telling Sirrus his torment will last for eternity and he will become a pathetic husk under their dominion.
With his destination almost upon him, it was time for the payload’s vessel to start its preparation. Sirrus's mind washed over the craft, no damages could be felt. It seems that having it cloak and shadowing the fight was working like a charm. Feeling that he wouldn’t have the chance later the FTL core was activated and the payload was arming. If things progressed right all that he needed was line of sight for his objective. The craft would launch itself directly into the target and upon its destruction the payload would detonate. Should his plan work, Altcore would never know what hit it and he would win. Taking his attention to the cloak it was still holding barely with the FTL core charging. If only the payload was not so volatile, Sirrus thought to himself, he could have just dived directly to the core and be done with it.
However, time seemed not to be on Sirrus's side as holes began to be punched all throughout the formation. It seems his shifting outer shell strategy was falling apart, the deeper he had gotten the more intense the firing became upon him. Crafts no longer had time for their shields to recharge and smaller ships were all almost gone to keep the formation alive. Then came the calling. It was like a foghorn inside his head, he was almost there he could feel it.
Time seemed to slow, it was as if everything was collapsing upon him. Hits couldn't be avoided anymore, lasers and ordnance rained upon him from every direction. It became a game of ramming into smaller fire to dodge the heavier ordnance, trying to avoid everything was putting too much pressure on the dive core. It wasn’t made for these short range dives and diving blurred his connections to his crafts, so staying too long under would have him yield his control to Altcore. His mind was at its breaking point; it was no longer howling that stained his ears, but the screeching of the damned that seemed to shake his very soul. With each second that passed, static began to take over his vision. Alarms started to sound in his cabin and errors and malfunctions began to fill the room's screens.
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In a moment of surprise a stray bolt of plasma directly hit the payload’s craft, his soul had left his body as he watched in slow motion as it made contact. Immediately, the craft's cloak failed, revealing itself to the battlefield. Sirrus's mind raced towards the ship praying that nothing was wrong, to his dismay the cloak had been fried. However, the shield took the majority of the damage and the FTL core was fine along with the payload. Feeling further, the FTL core was ready to go and the payload was fully armed. With its reveal upon the field, his element of surprise was gone; all he had to hope for was Altcore not paying attention to the craft.
Sirrus's hopes were dashed as the swarm zeroed in on the payloads craft. With no hesitation he abandoned his position to cover the payload, pushing his shields to the maximum he acted as cover. Raining fire upon the swarm with what little ammunition he had, Sirrus tried to push back the tide. But there were too many of them and what ammo he had ran dry, they had him cornered. In a moment of desperation he speared his craft through the flood of machines to bring way for the payload. Gone was his shield because of the maneuver, but he and the payload were no longer cornered.
Time was running out, Sirrus could not continue fighting for much longer. The formation was almost completely split open. Furthermore, controlling the crafts were starting to take its toll on him mentally and physically. Blood and various other fluids were dripping from his orifices and his mind under the assault of Altcore was causing his control to fade and weaken. Sirrus was becoming sloppier by the second and he was paying for it. The swarm taking advantage of the situation started taking out more and more crafts that could barely even put up a fight.
At this moment the horrifying thought that he might just fail came to be. Surrounded at all ends and watching as his fleet was turned into smoldering scrap did nothing to soothe his mind. He was at his wits end, protecting the payload while operating an entire armada was taking everything he had. But the thought of failure is what kept Sirrus going, others may fail but never will he. Throughout his life it had been engraved in him that he had to succeed at every endeavor, to fail would degrade his very existence and strip him of his purpose. The mere idea of it burned Sirrus to his core and even with all of the blocking and dulling that had been done on his emotions, all Sirrus could feel at the moment was a fiery rage that could set the universe a light.
However all of the doubts were washed away, when he got visual upon the objective. Before him in the distance lay Altcore's matrix, it was an icosahedron bigger than any star or planet he had ever seen. From each of its points bouts of plasma whipped about trailing along the surfaces of its many faces. Furthermore, he could have sworn to see the writhing forms of a myriad of beings all reaching out in agony at once.
Finally it was time to end this for once and for all. Taking in everything he began tracing the path needed for the payload to impact his target. Running calculations as quickly as he could muster and pushing his hardware to its absolute limits, Sirrus took processing power from any system he could get away with. But in an unfortunate turn of events his final tower had given out going up in sparks. Sirrus could no longer shoulder the burden of his armada anymore. So in an instant he made the decision to detonate all other crafts besides his own and the payload’s.
Simultaneously the crafts around him erupted shining white lights, stars once more bloomed upon the battlefield even brighter than before. Staggering the swarm in its steps and causing them to scatter. For once he had breathing room and more importantly a clear shot, with his mind free of the armada calculations were done immediately. With zero hesitation he activated the FTL core and watched as the payload’s craft vanished before his eyes.
The battlefield seemed to freeze at that moment, the swarm had halted in their tracks before floating aimlessly as if cut from their strings. Furthermore, Altcore had gone quiet, the gnawing on his mind had vanished along with the screeching of the damned. Sirrus held his breath as he watched in awe as the payload detonated before his eyes.
Space began to boil and tremble, turbulence hit Sirrus’s vessel almost knocking him off of his throne. Then it was as if reality itself had ruptured, a black vortex consumed Altcore's matrix and it grew at an incredulous rate. Everything that came in contact with the vortex was shredded and consumed and seemed to further fuel its expansion.
The feeling of victory came to Sirrus as fast as it left with the realization it was time for his exit. With little hesitation he activated the tether and began to flee the area. However to Sirrus’s dismay the tether was unresponsive and no matter how hard he probed and prodded nothing changed. Seeing the vortex advancing upon him at a very exaggerated pace, Sirrus put everything he had into operating the dive core.
The feeling of diving into a deeper layer of space was intense, it felt as if the universe itself was trying to crush him. However it was fast, as he could glide along the aether currents pulling speeds even surpassing even the best warp cores. But it came with the disadvantage of being brutal to both humans and machines alike. Sirrus could feel his craft creaking and groaning under its own weight and he himself was doing no better.
Gliding down the trail of destruction that he had created, Sirrus took in the sight of his victory, for he had done what was said to be impossible. An almost feral like grin stretched across his face, as the thought of how the federation would hail him upon his return. Checking back on the vortex’s progress Sirrus was hit with a terrifying realization, it was still gaining on him. Further damning him was a loud boom signaling the departure of his dive core. No words could describe Sirrus’s current thoughts and feelings upon seeing his incoming annihilation in the distance.
Sirrus's craft emerged from its dive with a whistle, and he took a moment to comprehend his current situation. Now it seemed his only salvation was to get the tether working, since repairing the dive core was impossible with it now being but a molten puddle upon the floor. Launching himself from his throne Sirrus was greeted to the floor, it had seemed that the battle had taken its toll upon him. Using the blackened remains of the towers that littered his room, Sirrus hobbled towards the maintenance hatch. With deft hands Sirrus grabbed the latch to open the tunnel only to be met with fierce resistance. Taking a breath Sirrus grasped both sides of the hatch and with great effort he tore the hatch from its hinges and threw himself into its depths.
Landing at the bottom of the tunnel with a loud metallic bang, Sirrus immediately started clawing his way to the room that housed the tether, ignoring all the pain. Entering into the main maintenance corridor he was greeted by charred walls and melted doors. It seems that the shield generator hadn’t gone out quietly and had scorched most of the interior. But none of that mattered at the moment, making his way to the now fused shut door that led to the tether. Sirrus punched his fingers through the metal and began to slowly pull them apart. However, seeing the vortex almost upon him, he pulled with greater vigor and his mechanical arms screamed in agony. Finally he had made a hole big enough to pull himself through.
Upon dragging himself into the room, the tether was revealed before Sirrus, a small black box with no markings upon it and four huge bolts holding it in place. Hobbling towards his target, Sirrus could feel his weakness growing and his cybernetics shutting down. With unsteady hands he began unbolting the tether's housing unit, struggling more and more with each bolt. As the final bolt was removed a tragic sight was shown to him. The tether in all of its glory was in pieces, looking inside of the box that housed it, a paper was taped to the inside. Grasping the paper with a trembling hand he pulled it out and flipped it over and a message was revealed.
To my dearest compatriot
Since you are reading this I can only assume you have succeeded in your mission and for that I and everyone else am truly grateful. However, you can not be permitted to return due to the threat you pose. Your very presence brings courage to those who seek ambition far beyond the reach of our current circumstances. Furthermore, you have grown far beyond the limits of what we can handle, and if Altcore has warped your mind we would be lambs to the slaughter. Please forgive me Sirrus, may you find peace.
Salutations
Yohan Brashren
Sirrus let the paper fall from his grasp and slumped onto the tether, he was abandoned by country and friend alike. For the first time he was defeated, Sirrus never thought this day would come and by his fellow men in arms nevertheless. Errors and malfunctions plagued his vision and the craft slowly started to rattle. His death was nigh and he could hear the reaper calling his name.
Seeing his life flash before him, something started to gnaw within him. Sirrus would not die like this, he was a lord of war and sitting down and waiting for death to take him would make him a coward. Something had to be done, looking over the broken tether it seemed that whatever he could do to it couldn't be worse than what was already done. Taking a deep breath, he began to gather his mind once more and prepared to use the last of his strength to repair the tether. Releasing his breath and shrouding the machine with his mind he began this cruel task.
Searing pain echoed throughout Sirrus’s being as he commanded metal to meld and wires to combine. With each piece moved it was like removing a piece of his very soul, Sirrus had long gone past his limits and was now paying the price. His cybernetics were coming undone by the moment, fingers fell from his hands and his legs crumbled into parts beneath him. Furthermore, his visor stopped sending up errors and slowly static started to encroach upon his vision. The craft's rattling had changed to a rumble and the sounds of unsecured items hitting the floor rang throughout the craft.
Metal groaned and screeched but all was lost upon Sirrus for he could no longer hear anything. Everything was coming together before him, only a few more parts were left before it was finished. Suddenly, he was thrown about the room as the craft began to shake violently, but he never lost focus even as he crashed into floors and ceiling alike. It was then that the craft's gravity modulator had given out and Sirrus began to float and bob about the room.
Stillness was brought across the craft as he connected the last part to the tether. The walls no longer shook and all of the items floating in the air froze. Drifting across from the tether Sirrus watched as it pulsed and glistened, soon colors started to envelop the area. It was the most beautiful thing Sirrus had ever seen, the way the colors wiggled and waved was enthralling. However it didn’t last for long, the colors suddenly receded leaving the room caped in shades of black and white. Cracks materialized from the tether and covered the walls and ceiling and slowly started to separate and drift away. With that Sirrus was left suspended in a void devoid of colors and light alike.
Everything felt like a dream to Sirrus, weightlessness caressed his body and pain pulsed throughout his mind. Thoughts never came to him in this state, it was as if he was floating at the edge of eternity. Time seemed to escape his grasp, seconds appeared to feel like minutes and hours felt like years. Yet nothing changed; he remained suspended, broken and alone. Sirrus tried to yell and scream but nothing left his lips, he felt like a prisoner trapped in his own body.
After what felt like an eternity, a movement caught his vision. From the depths of the abyss came shapes of a myriad of forms and colors. Each seemed to be ever changing and with every movement they left behind colorless silhouettes that gradually faded. Slowly the shapes encircled him and danced around his form. With each second passing they gradually got faster and faster before blurring together and then coming to a sudden stop. In their place now were ten white cylinders that shot up into the space above him. As if flexing, the shapes began to bend and the area above him began to stretch like fabric. Abruptly the darkness around him was banished and before him laid a sight that he could not comprehend.
Surrounding him were beings of shapes that made no sense and seem to not relegate themselves to any known laws of reality. Every time they moved their form collapsed and reassembled into something more complex. Colors of unknown varieties flooded the paths they took, sound akin to that of a thousand glasses chiming at once reverberated in his mind. With each step the beings took the more Sirrus struggled to do anything at all, but what was left of his body refused.
Towering over him the beings stood, completely covering the space above him. With each way his gaze passed a fire seemed to burn in his skull. An unimaginable pain peppered his very being, blood and various other liquids flowed from his nose and mouth. All Sirrus wanted was for the pain to stop and for this to all be over, he couldn't take it anymore.
The beings pushed forward tendrils that passed over his body and immediately the pain was gone. Further than that, he couldn't feel anything at all. In smooth movements the tendrils stripped him of his remaining cybernetics. One tendril gently wrapped around his visor before giving a sudden tug. Blackness took his vision for a second before it was returned.
Now his view had completely changed, Sirrus was overlooking his own body like an observer. He watched as parts crumbled in their grasp and how they left only what was organic, at the end all that remained was a mass of organs and a few sparse bones. Watching this occur he felt nothing, he felt as hollow as he normally did. Now the being began to stretch and pull at the air and bones seem to slowly come into existence.
Slowly a skeleton was formed and then the being began to knit. Flesh was woven like tapestry upon the bones, organs shifted to their correct spots before being shrouded in muscle, skin and bone. Once the process was done a complete and naked organic body laid before him. As if not done the beings waved down and the ever changing shapes reappeared. Guided by the beings they merged with his body turning into lines that stretched up his limbs and met at his torso. They began to transform into gears and cogs that grinded and moved against each other. Finally the lines stretched up from his torso to his neck, where they rounded the cheeks and stopped before his eyes.
Finally the being’s tendrils wander towards his eyes before plunging into them and with that his vision shifted and he was greeted to a night sky.
