Chapter 1
Torment
My skin is prickling on the back of my neck because I could feel the crew’s last moments here. I can feel it on the Life Stream. A little earlier, I mustered some courage and inspected the floating corpses and some did show some had taking fire others seemed to have deep wounds like something had slashed them. Their faces were still etched with the expression of pain and agony. I shivered violently as a deep chill went down my spine. Tears sprang to my eyes, I growled in frustration when I realized I couldn’t wipe them away because of the shield, so I let them run down my face, my eyes begin to sting. I shook my head into clarity and the tears stopped. I stumbled as my surrounding began to spin around me. I put a hand to my head in an attempt to steady myself. I cringed as a voice screamed in panic in my head, “<They are coming! Please, Lady of Life, protect us all!>” Then all my surroundings became calm. I shook my head. What in blazes was that? I said to myself. I shook my head again to fully make sure my head was clear. I continued onwards. At the end of the corridor in the shaft of my light what would’ve been a high velocity lift. I went to the lip and pointed my light down and up, only ominous darkness was my answer. The lift’s walls were really smooth with nothing to hold onto. Good thing my suit has some thrusters on the shoulders and feet. Turning off my magnetic boots, I began to float. I turned on my suit’s thrusters and I steadily made my way upwards. I started to veer when my surroundings started to spin. I stopped to let the sudden dizziness to pass. Light bathed the shaft, it was coming from above. I looked and cried in horror as flames suddenly engulfed me. Screaming in terror, I put my arms up around me as I felt the intense heat burn me. I shivered violently as the flames suddenly disappeared and my surroundings grew calm. Using my light, I looked up the shaft then down, nothing was around me or even near me. I continued my upward travel in the eerily silence of vacuum. I puffed up through the broken doors of another deck. I reapplied my magnetic boots to the floor which automatically turned off the thruster system. I shined my light into the corridor, this one has less corpses then the one a deck below me. The ceiling and floor were ‘uprooted’ with string like wires and its supports floating around gently. Walking into the corridor, I pushed aside the debris with my right hand. Beyond it was a cloud of debris that has been crystallized by the coldness of space.
Taking a calming breath, I entered the cloud. I was immediately impaired, it so thick that my light was little use. My suit automatically activated a function that allows me to ‘know’ where a support or other metal debris is in this thick cloud. I ducked under a support that was hanging in mid-air and I had to crawl underneath more supports. Then an opening allowed me to stand up. The cloud became much thinner and was easier to see. Soon, the cloud disappeared altogether. I turned around and it was still there behind me. Shrugging to myself, I came to an intersection, standing the middle I had three routes that I could take. I shined my light down the other routes, nothing of interest was revealed. I sighed my breath fogged the shield for a moment before it faded. The deeper I go in this derelict vessel the more the Life Stream seems to get weaker as if I am walking into a void. It is an uncertain experience. Finally making up my mind, I went down the center route. I also felt like the ship was closing in around me making me feel paranoid slightly. The only thing that was breaking the silence was my steady breathing and the faint sound of my feet on the metal floor. I stumbled as a wave of dizziness swept over me. I stopped in my tracks to let it pass over. I even had a hard time standing still my surroundings were spinning so rapidly.
“<You are completely alone in a nightmare, alone without the help of your Life Stream or your Lady of Life. You have entered my Realm,>” A deep, grating voice said, seemingly everywhere at once. I shivered violently as an even colder chill went down my back. I crouched instinctively as I felt like I was about to vomit. Taking deep breaths, I calmed my nerves down. I stood up once I was feeling better to travel. Keeping my light in front of me, I continued my journey through this ship. In a short time I reached the end of the hallway which curved around, at the far end was a large blast door.
I walked briskly to the blast doors. A small indicator beeped softly into my ears, letting me know the beacon is close. I just need to get past these blast doors. I knelt down to the wall that contained a control panel for the blast doors because there is no power I have to use the power of my suit to activate the doors. I took the wires and laid them against the surface of my suit and they instantly lit up green. The HUD of my suit became scrambled with information as it communicated. Then the door opened slowly but steadily. Once all the way open, I disconnected the wires from my suit and dove through the doors as they closed from the lack of power. Standing up, I watched them shut. A gasp suddenly came from me as I felt the Life Stream completely disappear from my senses. If there is no Life Stream I can call upon, then I will not be able to summon my suit’s weapon! I stomped the ground in frustration. I have no real way of protecting myself if need to. Well, I have my hands, feet, agility and strength. I don’t know how well that will go in a zero-gravity environment, but it is better than nothing, I suppose.
I shined my light on the corridor to see sheets of wires have been exposed and were glowing. I deactivated my light for a moment, my eyes adjusted to the darkness and saw long ways down the corridor the wires have been exposed. My HUD adjusted its brightness to softer levels. I went over to the exposed wiring and scanned them. According to my readings, the wires were getting power from engineering somehow, but I am not detecting the radiation that should be coming from the main reactor. I removed my light from left arm and attached it to my helmet. I activated its ‘nightlight’ setting, which allows me to see in the dark, but does not shine like normal light.
“<You will travel my realm without your precious light, behold your nightmare,>” The same deep, grating voice said. I collapsed onto my wobbly knees as the room just spun so rapidly around me. I shivered as the coldest chill that I ever felt went down my spine. I suddenly broke out in a cold sweat making me shiver more. The glowing wires made trails in my rapidly spinning vision. I tried to stand, but I simply could not. Taking deep breaths, I managed to slow my dizziness enough so I can stand. My eyes finally managed to adjust to the dimly lit environment. I took a careful step forward, then another, to test if I would fall. My legs still feel wobbly. I inched my way to the wall and used it as my guide forward. I followed it around a corner. I stopped in my tracks a dark shadow moved several yards front of me. I gritted my teeth when a sharp pain stabbed my through my skull. I startled when I saw the dark shadow was walking toward me and it was a short distance away. As it got closer the pain got worse and my world started to spin again. I yelped in fright as I managed to duck underneath a swipe. I grunted metallically in my helmet as a strong force threw me onto my back. Recovering quickly, I slid backwards trying to get away from it. I felt a vice like grip lift me up off the floor. My skull felt like it was going to split open anytime now. I struggled helplessly trying to get this dark creature off of me.
“<Watch and feel your people suffer under me,>” The deep, grating voice said. I screamed metallically as flashes of many Pyratorians being killed then assimilated into vile beings. Then I saw memories of the attack on our worlds, on our transports. I felt billions of Pyratorians suffering and dying all over again. “<Your people are now ripe for the taking, lost and confused, I shall consume your Elders, then your people will be my slaves. I am the Dark Tormentor, little Guard. I am the leader of the Demented Ones, you just encountered my slaves and you shall encounter them, again,>” The Dark Tormentor said his voice was like a white-hot blade that has been impaled through my skull. “<Your torment shall begin, now,>” He added. I sighed in pain as I felt my head connect with the wall the sound of the helmet shattering was distant to my ears as I felt my oxygen rushing out and the coldness of the vacuum inching along my skin. The dark void took me into its arms.
I woke with a groan, it felt my entire was on fire, every muscle, joint and nerve cluster. My vision was very blurry. In a strange orange light, I thought I could see something above me, a strange figure with . . . faintly gray skin with a strange pink pigment. Slowly, my hearing came back although it sounded like I was underneath water, then my vision very slowly cleared. A gasp escaped my lips as everything became clearer. I rolled away from the figure onto my hands and knees as I coughed up blood onto the grated floor. Finally stopping, I sat on my knees. I wasn’t wearing my suit, but I wore the clothes that I had underneath. I looked at the figure and my heart skipped two beats! I couldn’t believe it! I didn’t know if I was having a vision or a dying dream, but there, sitting in front of me in the same position was Aylora S’Iynara, in translation, that means the ‘Lady of Life’. I stared at her not knowing what to do. I surprised her with an embrace. Hot, stinging tears went down my face as I felt warm arms hold me. I separated from her.
She looked changed from the last time I saw her, which was through a vision. She looked older and more mature, but her eyes looked deeply worn and tired, but I could see small fires of wrath in them. Her skin tone reflected that she was sick. I noticed she had her left arm in a roughly tied cast made up torn wires. Her clothes were really torn and bloodied. Her right arm, near the elbow, had a stack of more torn wires wrapped into a knot. “<Please, help me stand,>” She said her voice sounded worn and tired. I helped her to stand up putting her good arm around my shoulders.
“<This is engineering, isn’t it?>” I said, looking around. “<Yes, but doing anything from is useless, I have already tried,>” Aylora S’Iynara replied sounding distant. I adjusted her weight to be more comfortable. We both walked down a small flight of stairs to a standing Lifter. I stuck my hand in a small bowl that was there, the liquid was like gel, but only gritty. The Lifter activated and we descended to the main floor. Touching down, I removed my hand from the device and the Lifter’s gate allowed us to pass. “<Kyral, I want you to know something . . . >” Aylora stopped in mid-sentence making look at her alarmed as she gained her breath, “<I’m fighting a disease that the Dark Tormentor gave me, I might not live to see the comforts of a suitable planet.>”
“<We’re both leaving, I’m sure of that,>” I assured her, even though I didn’t feel much assured by it. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Aylora struggle trying to stay conscious, for her breathing was becoming more and more labored. “<This atmosphere is too thin, I need to rest,>” She huffed. I guided her to a console that has a chair sitting in front of it. I did feel a little worn from that even though we didn’t go far. I inserted my hand into the same device that was for the Lifter, but it was for bringing up power diagnostics on the main Spatial Tunnel Assembly. According to this read out the Assembly was getting repairs done, probably by the Dark Tormentor’s minions. I removed my hand and went to the console next to her and inserted my hand into that. This console showed the areas of the Spatial Tunnel Assembly that was getting worked on. I couldn’t do anything from this console. I removed my hand from the console and stood up.
I went to a large set of consoles that monitored the reactors and environmental integrity. I inserted my hand into the main console that overlooked that the main reactor. A holographic screen came up, a Pyratorian Warning Symbol started flashing across its screen warning of the thin atmosphere and the sudden rise in temperature in the core of the reactor. An idea came to me, if I could just find a console on the main Spatial Tunnel Assembly. In dire emergencies, its main drive can be dropped into space away from the ship. Doing so, would prevent them into the Spatial Tunnel, essentially marooning them here. Or somehow, ‘regain’ it in my favor putting the controls under my fingertips.
“<I can read your thoughts, little Guard and your plans have already failed, for I am in complete control of this ship. There is no escape,>” The Dark Tormentor said, his voice was everywhere. I sat down heavily in a chair by a console to let the sudden dizziness subside. I started to wheeze from the too thin atmosphere, I need more air, at least! I looked over at Aylora and caught her eye. We both looked at each other wondering how to get off this miserable ship. I turned my gaze onto the console that I was sitting at. I inserted my hand into the device and a holographic display came up. It was warning that the atmosphere was too thin and that the wrong atmospheric compounds were in the air as well. I noticed the air was being stretched across parts of the ship that were needed. I removed my hand from the device and looked around the eerily lit engineering. I wonder where the atmosphere regulators are, probably high above us. I’m not in the best shape to go climbing, unless they are beneath us. I need to do something fast before we both become slaves to this Dark Tormentor.
