A Dark Oceans Descent: (Heridian Saga, Book 1)

by Darryl J. W. Temple

  'You've carried the guilt with you for years, what more of a price would you want to pay? Do you think your fellow brothers and sisters in arms should decide that?' Nash replied, rubbing his shoulder.

  Tek zoned out for a moment before he realised Nash was still in the room. 'Yes, yes, of course, that makes sense.'

  'We should go for a walk around the Vidar when we get back, stretch your legs. I think it will surprise you at what you see. There is even writing on the walls welcoming back the hero of the fleet.'

  For the first time Tek smiled, a genuine sense of happiness that maybe everything he'd endured had been worth it.

  'I would like that; I haven't had a drop of alcohol in what must be years. But it would be good to do something that doesn't involve staring at walls,' he said, smiling.

  'Then it's settled,' Nash replied as she gave her old friend a powerful hug. 'I'm so glad you're back with us. Oh, who were the friends you were talking about as I came in, were there other people on that ship too?'

  'No, I was alone,' Tek replied as he looked around for his boots.

  *

  The black armored capital cruisers sat motionless amongst the large fleet of Cygnian Pirates. Anchored around a nameless star, the god-like vessels cast shadows over the nearby asteroids, sheltering them from the ever watching eyes of the dark heavens. High above them the great flagship, the Wing of Vidar, protected the group as a mother would its children.

  Looking down through the glass floor, Khan Hayreddin marvelled at the sheer size of the fleet he commanded, reminiscing of the days when he first became the leader of the pirates. His close friend, Zelene, entered the observation room and upon seeing the great Khan felt the inspiration that his personae demanded.

  'Alexon,' the woman whispered as she approached, 'you look sombre, is everything alright?'

  The Khan looked up; his long dark beard trimmed neatly and smiled, 'I was just remembering the days of old, in the beginning.'

  'That was a very long time ago now, almost feels like another life.'

  'It certainly does, I almost miss the small frigate I first commanded.'

  Zelene couldn't help but let out a small giggle, 'It is humorous hearing you call a capital ship small. Compared to the Vidar everything is such.'

  'Aye, the Vidar is a beauty and I sometimes forget she's a vessel and not a city.'

  The Khan moved close to the women and took her by the hands, 'I'm afraid my agent could not discover any information regarding what happened to your husband,' he said sadly. 'I sent my operative to collect an item of importance on an enemy vessel, in which he succeeded. It didn't however, contain any details of the event all those years ago.'

  'What item was this?' Zelene asked curiously, 'and why would it contain information on that event?'

  'I can't divulge all the information surrounding the object, but I can say what it holds is immense. We've finished decoding it which has taken a long time, and we now possess invaluable details on Heridian tactics and plans. It didn't contain the location of their home-world, however.'

  'This agent of yours, Stark, I believe his name to be? Is he good at what he does?' Zelene asked with a hint of spite in her voice.

  'He is the best at what he does, Zelene, there is no equal. He ranks highest in the Dark Ops division.'

  'So that division exists?'

  'Just between you and me, yes, that division exists, and it doesn't.

  'I see, well he has been part of Xain's Reaper wing for years now and he still hasn't been able to find any information on my husband.'

  'Be patient, Zelene, if he is alive I believe he will try to contact his son.'

  'I hope you're right, Alexon, I hope you're right.'

  The Khan let go of her hands and stepped away. 'They have called me to the bridge, thank you for seeing me.'

  'You're welcome, my Khan, and thank you again for all that you've done.'

  Khan Hayreddin watched the woman leave the observation room and turned to the back corner.

  'She knows only what I want her too,' he said.

  The darkness shifted and drifted in front of him, 'See that she does,' it whispered.

  CHAPTER 18.

  From an Ancient War.

  The currents of the Nebula Stream were strong against the hull of the two vessels as they navigated their way along. Dangerous gases and radiation pounded the nanite shielding causing arcs of electricity; flares erupted across the armor, flashing a multitude of colors. The Nebula Stream was vast and covered thousands of light years in a circuit surrounding the anomalies center, with few entries and exits.

  Both ships had entered the stream a day earlier in between the two giant statues and since been fighting the currents of radioactive death. The Dawn Eclipse cruised relatively smoothly, its shape aerodynamic in a flowing environment of any gas. It avoided the hostile pockets of danger with ease, navigating and side shifting areas that would vaporize the vessel in seconds. The Arvernus however, built by humans and Elismorus, and although sleek, struggled in its movement even with the information being provided by the Eclipse remotely.

  During the voyage, the pirate corvette sustained minor damage to the hull and lost a rear tail fin used for scanning the area to stern. The vessels kept in line of sight at all times to minimise the risk of losing each other in the chaotic stream. The exit was approaching and if a vessel missed it, the likelihood of that ship's escape was near impossible.

  'How are you faring, Slin, I see you lost something?' Commander Raeson said over the coms as he manned his console on the Eclipse.

  'Hilarious, Commander, remember this is your ship,' Slin laughed.

  'Don't worry then,' he mused, 'the repair bill will come out of your cut after the mission.'

  'Obstruction ahead!' Draethus yelled over the coms, interrupting the pair. 'Slin evade twenty degrees to port now!'

  The pirate commanding the corvette did as instructed and barely missed the twisted wreck of some long forgotten vessel that had run into trouble. As they passed, Raeson could see it was actually a graveyard of vessels that had collided together over what could have been centuries ago.

  'I don't recognise the configuration of those vessels back there,' Raeson stated.

  'That's surprising, I would have thought a space faring race would know many ships,' Draethus added from his command chair under the liquid metal lake.

  'The thing about space is there are lots of it, I doubt anyone man would see everything in his lifetime,' the pirate Commander replied.

  We are coming up on the exit to the Nebula Stream, Commander Draethus. I'm transmitting the data to the systems on the Arvernus now, the voice of the Eclipse said into his mind.

  Very well Eclipse, I want you to mark the navigation curve for the corvette and we will follow behind. If they mess it up, keep us in the stream with them for backup, Draethus replied.

  Yes Sir, said the ship with a sense of curiosity. You realise if it were us who missed the exit, the pirates would probably just leave us behind? Why would you not do the same for them?

  Because Eclipse, I am an honorable commander and as a SOV warrior pertain a high moral code.

  You may find your morals broken by the end of this mission. Those who do not evolve will die, as is the way of life, Commander Draethus. The ship's voice faded from his mind before Draethus could question it any further.

  He opened up the coms again to the bridge of the Arvernus, 'Commander Slin, I've transferred the exit waypoint to your navigation systems, we will follow you out.'

  'Aye Sir, we are setting course to follow the exit curve. Try not to get left behind will you?' Slin replied.

  'We'll be alright, just don't fly too slow lest we end up ramming your arse,' Draethus finished and cut the coms.

  Raeson, who had been monitoring the radiation flow of the stream for the past few hours since he slept, looked over at Tremon.

  'You ready Paladin?' he asked.

  'Ready? We are about to exit into unknown space. How can an
yone be ready?' Tremon smiled. 'Still though, I am looking forward to a good fight, I haven't fired these guns in a while.'

  Kicking in its engines to full, the Arvernus burnt a light streak that curved in the perfect vector needed for exit. The golden ship trailed as both vessels finally left the gas flow behind, the solar winds to their rear continuing their violent storm. On exit, both crews noticed the same type of statues seen on entry previously, however a full half of one metal giant was missing.

  'What could have blown that statue away?' Tremon asked, looking in awe. 'It was hundreds of kilometres high. Where is it?'

  Raeson got up and walked to the front of the ship as the forward cameras displayed what lay ahead.

  'Probably the same event that destroyed that,' the pirate said pointing. 'Welcome to Tiberous everyone.'

  Suspended in space, the giant asteroids clustered together and lay motionless. The largest of the rocks, covered in a gray haze of dust, sat frozen with pillars of ruined buildings protruding like defensive spines of some prehistoric animal. The surrounding debris drifted in a disc like orbit, the remnants of what was once the planet Tiberous. Mixed in the haze, an atmosphere of turquoise covered the area in an eerie light, finishing an already dark and foreboding scene.

  Walking onto the bridge of the Eclipse, Spect looked past the pirate Commander and said, 'Is that where the duel will take place? Is that Tiberous?'

  'That it is, and for once I'm glad that I won't be going,' Tremon replied. 'Commander I'm detecting a drive signature on the other side of the main surface.'

  'I see it,' Draethus said. 'It's a Rid cruiser, and the ship tells me it looks to have been sitting there a while.'

  The levitating platform appeared from below the liquid lake, on the bottom level, and lifted the Eclipses' Commander onto the bridge.

  'I'm headed for the dock; I'll take a fighter down to the surface to finish this.' Draethus stated.

  Raeson, never one to back down from a fight followed him out, 'Do you know how to pilot a fighter?'

  Draethus waited for the command deck doors to phase out before exiting, 'No I don't so I guess you are going to have to fly me there. I believe one of the craft is a two-seater?'

  'Wait,' Tremon yelled after them, 'take this.'

  The Paladin handed Raeson his vibration sword, a different model to the one Draethus used but deadly just the same.

  'Thank you, hopefully I won't need it,' the pirate said thankfully with a nod of the head. The two men headed for the dock and finally a step closer to the end of their mission to find Heridia.

  'You know this is most likely a trap, that even though your duel will be on that rock there isn't anything stopping the Rid cruiser from trying to capture the ship?' Raeson said.

  'This ship, Raeson, is a lot smarter than anyone knows and I'd imagine it would have a contingency plan.'

  'Are you saying it will leave us stranded on Tiberous if it came down to it?' the pirate asked surprised.

  Draethus glanced over to him, 'that's exactly what I'm saying; better we sacrifice the both of us than have the ship fall into Rid hands. Besides, the Arvernus can collect us.'

  'That's if the Heridians don't destroy it first.'

  'You really are a dark minded person aren't you pirate,' Draethus laughed.

  I've intercepted a transmission from the Heridian you refer to as Johan. He is waiting on the surface for you and sounds impatient, the Eclipse said into the soldier's mind.

  Thank you Eclipse, hopefully this ends well and we will have the co-ordinates needed to reach the home-world of the menace. If it doesn't go in our favor, I'm guessing you know what to do?

  Yes Commander, this ship and your crew will be safe.

  'I just had the weirdest sensation in my head,' Raeson said curiously.

  *

  The Widowmaker class pirate fighter extended its landing gear and hovered above the surface of the massive asteroid. Dust kicked up from the anti-gravity turbines and caused a small whirlwind that, by the time it settled, revealed the two warriors exiting the cockpit.

  'I think I'm going to learn to fly one of those, could be useful,' Draethus said, taking a step into the gray dust.

  'Useful,' Raeson laughed, 'you can have a lot of fun in one of those.'

  'I think our versions of fun are a little different,' Draethus smiled, despite the situation. 'The feel about this place is ancient with a haunted sense of history don't you think?'

  The pirate looked around as they neared the area the ship had informed them the Heridian leader was waiting.

  'I really don't know what this place is Draethus, those ruins in the distance appear older than anything I've ever encountered.'

  As the two warriors came into view of their enemy, they noticed it was waiting in a location covered in the broken stone ruins of what looked to be a collection of pillars.

  'What is this place?' Raeson asked.

  From an ancient war, something whispered in reply.

  'You heard that too?' Draethus asked the startled pirate.

  'Yes, does that happen to you often, hearing whispers like that?'

  'The more it happens, the fewer questions I ask, Raeson.'

  'Draethus!' the Heridian leader roared, 'You Dishonor yourself by bringing an ally with you, you coward!'

  The giant beast slashed at the ground using the two claws on its side and kicked up a mass of dust that partially covered its dark crimson armor.

  A strange wind passed over the crest as the men stood, before Draethus headed down to the arena to face his long-time friend.

  'This ends today,' the soldier said, 'wait here.'

  The Heridian roared at the approaching soldier, bearing rows of razor sharp fangs and what Draethus thought was a smile.

  'At last we face each other old friend, for the last time,' the menace said through its growl.

  'I wish I could have been there for you Johan, they told me you perished on the Dark Claw.'

  The Heridian arched up to its full height and towered over Draethus, casting him in shadow. The creature's gears spun as the mechanised parts beneath its armor readied the menace for the duel to start. Draethus could see the runes across the armor pulsing, slowly at first before becoming a constant glow.

  'You could join me, Draethus,' Johan said in a low and deep tone. 'You could become one of us, but then you always were the honorable one, were you not?'

  It roared and leapt into the air, stabbed the dirt where Draethus rolled from. The soldier thrust his vibration sword into the chest armor, hoping to score a hit inside the gaps, only to deflect away. He quickly side shifted again to dodge the claw that backhanded in his direction and took a face full of gray dust from the ground. It filled his eyes for a moment as he parried the incoming strikes.

  The creature slashed at the soldier repeatedly with its massive claws, causing a strain on the defensive blade and the muscles that held it. The third claw aimed low at the human's feet but failed when the man jumped over and began his own attacks. Strike after strike, he slashed with his sword into the Heridians' chest, so close that the creature struggled to parry as its claws were large and cumbersome.

  Sparks flashed as metal clashed on metal. The creature's armor chipped away and fell burning to the ground, filling Draethus with some hope of victory. Johan, the creature, rushed forward and used its sheer size to knock the soldier off his feet and back into reach of the rusty, enormous claws. The soldier fell sprawling to the ground before quickly recovering to his feet.

  *

  From high above the battle both crews, pirate and Paladin, watched the duel unfold on the displays. Slin, Nash and the rest of the command deck crew on the pirate corvette, sat at their stations in silence. They hoped Draethus would prevail despite the incredible size difference between the combatants. Rel, huddled in the corner of the docking bay on the Arvernus, watched the fight in tears, fearful that her new love was in trouble and that she may never see him again. Tremon and the scientist, Spect, sat in suspense o
n the Dawn Eclipse observing the battle on the hologram display, so large it was like they were there in person.

  'I commend his commitment,' Tremon said, 'it's not that long ago I would have been glad to watch Draethus die to the hands of a Rid. How things change.'

  'The probability that he will win this duel is small, but as much as I would love to concentrate on the battle, I'm monitoring that enemy cruiser out there,' Spect replied.

  'Keep a lookout for more ships just in case they attempt to sneak up on us,' Tremon replied, still transfixed on the fight taking place. 'Also, I've noticed you have been quiet lately, since we entered that mysterious room that is.'

  Spect was silent for a moment before replying, 'I feel uneasy on this ship and I think it's haunted.'

  Tremon laughed and stopped when he realised the scientist was serious.

  *

  Draethus charged the Heridian leader again and slashed his sword down from a high right position to lower left. The rusty claw parried the strike easily, but missed the second strike that flowed on from the last. It caught the creature across the face and dislodged one of its fangs, falling to the ground, and disappeared in the dust. Johan let out a screech, more of anger than pain, and then attempted to stab Draethus in the chest. The soldier dodged again, but missed the spiky tail from the creature and lost his footing. His sword flung from his hand and landed out of reach, buried in the dust, flat to the surface and hard to see. Draethus rolled and scrambled towards the blade, but the giant creatures' third claw emerged from under the dust and grabbed the man. Johan lifted the soldier towards its fangs and tightened the grip.

  'I never needed to ask your permission to join our ranks,' the Heridian said. 'I only need the parts inside that skull of yours.'

  'Kill me now menace, or are you afraid I'll still win?'

  Johan laughed, 'Even still you persist to taunt me and for what reason, to buy enough time for your rescue? No one is coming for you. You have lost and so is your ship.'

  The creature screamed as a vibration sword entered through the back plates of its body, piercing the internals. Draethus dropped from the creature's grip to the ground and ran back for his sword as Raeson stabbed at the creature's back again. A dark liquid sprayed out of the Heridian and covered the pirate in the oily blood as a claw slashed at him. Raeson parried, then stepped in to slash at Johan's' side, which deflected off the carapace.