25 (DSV Nautica) Deep Shadows

Story by Abyssaldemon on SoFurry

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The two races faced off. They would fight to get the opportunity to see such an event. Both sides had been furiously racing to get another glimpse, ever since the first one. This would be a fight to the death.Missile contrails and tracers shot across the void, the ships from either side bashing each other. Raw determination fueled the fires between them. A long war had been fought, and this was only aggravating them. Then, it all stopped. The ships went dead. And they waited.The cosmos distorted and it appeared. Black, covered in odd blue tendrils, triangular. And the largest oddity was the center. The triangular ship had a triangular hollow out wherein sat a huge glowing blue orb, shifting and casting energy signatures like a star. The whole thing was over 30 kilometers long, whatever that translated to in their measurements of distance. The massive ship coasted through the battle. All the ships scanned, watched, recorded. Their crews watched in awe. It was alien. It wasn't from this galaxy. It was from very, very far away.

 Aki stared at the figure, whom had just now identified her...him....its self as Celeste. It stared back."Ha'ay'ke" She uttered the Ayrese equivalent to 'Bullshit'.The thing smiled and shrugged. Not the reaction she had expected."What do you want?! Where is this?""This is a safe haven for your mind. While I use your body."Aki's stomach went cold."You...what?""I need a way to stay in contact with home. You are the way I do that." Celeste smiled softly."You really are Celeste...""Yes and No. I am merely a hallucination inside a dream. I am the Physical manifestation of Celeste."Aki's eyes went wide. Celeste was using her as a bridge. To get to home. But Celeste's packets were too much...there was no way she could possibly survive what Celeste was suggesting."But your packets home are way too much for a single person to handle on their own!""Yes.""This is going to kill me!""No."De'an prepared to drop out of FTL in about 10 minutes. They would have to do this fast. The previous encounter there made this a hotspot. Their showing up there would most likely trigger some kind of response from the Draconids. He sighed and glanced back at the empty captains control chair. This could go wrong on so many levels.

 "Exiting...now." He muttered under his breath, to no one in particular.With a pop, the Erebus exited the FTL tunnel, and began descending ever so fast into the atmosphere. The ship rattled around them, starting as a small fluttering below their feet. Sensors were detecting Ayr'een signatures. Sure enough, there they were.From Flares point of view, it was just another day of survival

on this rock, but perforated by a loud boom that was much bigger than a rock slide of explosion. It seemed to come from all directions. The ground trembled beneath their feet as the presence of their kin flooded back to them."They are here..." Flare's eyes grew wide, looking to the sky, knowing exactly where to look. She saw it. Without a second guess, she grabbed her board, along with everyone else. The feeling in the air was ecstatic, as well as a few sheepish looks from the ones convinced that they wouldn't come back. Flare smiled softly to herself. She finally felt warm again. It was time to go home.De'an detected the opening of a wormhole, wait. Nine. They were persistent. Good thing that Flare's team was already well on the way to the launch bay. He was flying at them slowly, flying into them as they flew into the launch bay. They were on board. "Time to get out of here..." De'an muttered.

 Flare sighed and fell to the cool deck of the ship. Feeling its rumble around her again was comforting beyond belief. Medical Acolytes were tending to them. Luckily they were all in good shape, save some malnourishment that could be easily fixed. It would be no time before they were back up and fighting.Flare sighed and followed the Acolytes. But this was weird. Normally May'ael herself would be here. She wasn't, so the only thing that could mean was there was another emergency more pressing. What had they gotten themselves into?De'an maneuvered the ship away from the fast approaching Draconids. Well, only one thing to do. He fired the main weapon. The ribbon wrapped around the Draconids, slowing them down just long enough to hit the accelerator, punching the ship into FTL.Aki paced around the clearing, feeling very distressed. Celeste was being so confusing. What the hell did it mean? If that amount of will energy were sent through even a Draconid, it would be annihilated pretty quickly. How would it not kill her? Celeste stood in the center of the forest, looking around, not paying much attention to any one thing in particular. Any attempt to converse with it resulted in rather vague or short answers. It was unnerving. It had no clue how to carry a conversation.

 The curator stood in the middle of the room. Focusing, channeling all her power into the receiving arrays on the planet. Celeste had somehow gotten through. They were receiving data! The packet was legitimate, and bigger than the last one. The Acolytes used all the power they could to help the curator. It took eight of them to safely download the packet. Of course the definition of safely only meant that it wouldn't kill anyone.A shadow watched from the entrance of the hall. The Matriarch was alone in the great hall, observing the packed coming in. Her entourage

had been confused before she sent them off for some time alone. How could Celeste suddenly be able to transmit? Her lips curled in a smile. It had been right. "Well done, Nee'Aki'Ee'Oh. Well done captain."