23 (DSV Nautica) Wrecked
The Erebus groaned around them. The will conduits were under huge stress. A clang and a shriek. The Draconids were trying to cut through the hull to get inside. With a single shared thought, Aki issued the order to spiral. The engineers hung on for dear life as the behemoth began to slowly turn spirals, then faster, and faster. The Erebus began flying forward, twisting in a dizzying spiral. De'an did his best to compensate for the G-forces, but everyone inside was slowly being dragged to the wall. Two of the Draconids were hurled off into space, with the third firmly latched onto the hull.Aki had a sudden idea. With coordinating from De'an, they began to charge the Draconids that had been thrown from the hull. With a couple of faint thumps, they hit the Draconids head on, and peeled the third off the hull when his stunned comrades hit him head on. Aki let herself smile slightly. They were coming around to pick up the members of their team.Lyn had seen the Erebus speed off, and assumed it had to perform combat maneuvers. It also made it feel rather lonely out here. The two downed dragons were slowly waking up, so the group moved away. They had gravely injured one of them. It was the best they could hope for.
Lyn had never, in her life, imagined that she could take on one these things. They were so much stronger than anything that the Ayr'een had found anywhere else. The Dragons growled silently, getting up to continue their attack despite being injured. They stood a chance at winning too."Erebus...we are in trouble.""You and us both. Hang on."They were coming back, but not fast enough. Lyn shook off the tightness around her neck, and rushed the Draconid who had been speared, bringing her rapier to bear. He blocked the blade with ease, grabbing her wrist. She felt a searing pain as the bones in her wrist snapped. Aki brought the main weapon to bear and fired straight at Lyn. She hoped that Lyn could raise a shield in time, block the effects before the ribbon vaporized the target."Please see this coming, Lyn."Aki prayed. And fired.Lyn felt the devastating effects of the weapon fast approaching. She couldn't move. She was trapped right where she was. The dragon looked up, and widened his eyes in shock. Things became a blur of motion. Ash tackled Lyn out of the way. The protector team surrounded the second Draconid and joined hands, a glowing ring of fire in space weaving around the trapped soul in the middle. He roared and bashed the cage they had him sealed in for the time being, while his companion, already injured, was knocked around like a toy by the Erebus' primary weapon. It was a hellhole of will energy, anything unprotected would have been vaporized in less than a second. The main weapon ended its cycle, just as the protector team knocked the second
Draconid out with a final blow from behind him, the fire scorching his body. It grew eerily quiet, the protectors moving back toward the ship, having exhausted their immediate energy. The engineers finished repairing the conduit and energy levels began rising. But they had not been without their casualties.
"She is gonna lose the arm and forearm up to the elbow." May'ael sighed.Lyn was laying on a medical table, suspended a few inches off of it. Her right arm, where the Draconid had broken her wrist, was looking necrotic. "The Draconid did something to her arm. I'm not sure what it is, but if we don't remove the arm, it will spread to the rest of her body. Aki sighed and leaned against the infirmary wall, head bowed. Her gaze fell to the ground, becoming absent minded."Do what you have to."May'ael nodded and gave a sad smile, nodding to the surgical staff in the room. Aki exited as they began the procedure. They had already reentered FTL, and were speeding toward the odd location that the will signature had been pointing at. But she had to stop them. They had to go back for something, rather, someone.Stepping on the bridge, she connected with De'an."Turn the ship around. We need to go get Flare. And anything you say wont change my mind. I've thought about it plenty. Do it."De'an knew it would be stupid to second guess her, so he nodded and adjusted course.
Traveling in FTL for the Ayr'een was quite a feat. But what was even greater was their ability to turn while in FTL speeds. They turn would take the better part of a cycle, and another cycle to reach the destination. They had time to waste. A team was performing repairs as they spoke. Zhi had been dealt with, and was probably in no mood to talk to her of all people. She had alienated him. She sighed and laid in her quarters, staring at the shifting ceiling and circuits. AU-945 was every bit as hard as they had said. And some more on top of that. Lyn had all the bad luck in the world.Lyn slowly woke. Her right arm was killing her. She blinked and received the worst shock of her life so far. Her arm was gone, replaces with something of an overlapping mail prosthetic. They had removed her arm! She let out a scream of horror as the medical acolytes responded.Aki closed her eyes, but was hit by a blinding light. Planets, stars, nebulae, species, moons, asteroids, comets, all streaming through her head. She seized and tried to cry for help, only managing small grunts and whines of pain. No were near enough to penetrate the doors of her cabin. What was happening to her? Her body no longer belonged to her, but instead was shaking shivering as so much information was pushed into her head it hurt, physically and mentally. She was being suffocated by all of this knowledge.
Only one thing kept ringing through her head consistently.
"Celeste...Celeste...Celeste...."