The Last Star

When Luna, Charlotte, and Nicolas entered the spaceship, Avi was already done setting the course. Alone, Luna walked to the bridge, where two other girls already were.

Virka glanced at Luna, who was deeply sad and had her spirit broken. Seeing her like this, Virka didn't want to lecture Luna, but the burden of her responsibility was too heavy, so she still mentioned. - “Remember, Luna. Those people are waiting for rescue.”

“I know.” - Luna uttered quietly, her eyes averted. She wanted to avoid Virka's and Avi's gazes, but Avi was too busy to notice at the moment.

“It's good you're here.” - Avi said as she started the engines. - “Virka has a plan.”

Luna remained silent.

Virka sighed, then started to explain. - ”You were able to hack this ship, so you should be able to bypass their security in the blink of an eye. We'll land at the central command station, look around, and once it's necessary, you'll cut off their access to technology across the entire planet, then delete all of their archives. I feel that it'll put the light years behind and they won't be able to control their fleet. We'll seize the spaceships and use them to evacuate the endangered people to Goliath.”

Luna still wouldn't comment.

“Any doubts?” - Virka asked.

“No.” - Luna uttered quietly.

Avi finally turned to look at Luna, and seeing her in this state, she felt her heart aching. She hesitated. - “Luna... I'm sorry that we're relying on you so much.”

“You're treating me like a tool.” - Luna muttered.

“You're very important...” - Avi pointed at the planet that they were leaving. - “...for us, and them. I know that you would make the right choice even without us.”

“No, Avi.” - Luna spoke. - “I do it only because you asked me to.”

Avi became sadder. - “Do you really feel like we are using you?”

“I feel there was no compromise between us...” - Luna replied. - “...that instead of talking about what bothers us, we are blindly rushing forward, following only your vision of the future.”

“You know that we shouldn't waste time.” - Avi said.

Luna didn't continue.

“You'll talk after the mission is over.” - Virka suggested. They were approaching their destination.

Avi looked beyond the window. - “Wait... where are we supposed to land?”

Luna approached the control panel and pointed at the lever.- “Submersible mode.” - then at two buttons below. - ”Bottom lights.”

Avi followed the instructions, and the spaceship dove into the ocean's depths. For about three miles, they were passing fish shoals and other underwater species, until the water became absolutely dark, making it difficult to find signs of life even with the lights on.

Only at a depth of five thousand and five hundred meters could she illuminate the fragment of the ocean bed.

“Where are they?” - Avi asked Virka.

“There should be a sea trench to the west.” - Luna replied instead, still studying the readings. - “Turn and try to find sources of artificial light.”

Avi traveled to much bigger depths, following an almost vertical wall until she noticed flickering, red lights in the distance. A castle of glass integrated into a cliff appeared in front of them, its many round domes overgrown by barnacles.

Luna instructed Avi to tilt the ship parallel to the stone and attach it there, then, after it stopped, left to prepare their transporter. Nicolas was already in the garage, wearing his spacesuit, but clearly bitter about the situation.

“...so we're heading out after all?” - He asked, his eyes directed at Luna.

“If you don't want to, you don't have to.” - Avi talked back to him.

Nicolas gave Avi almost a contemptuous look, but said no word. Despite the silence, which was only interrupted by the noise of the transporter's controls, it was clear that the atmosphere was heavy.

The frontal lights turned on, and Luna unlocked the rear and side doors, allowing her companions to enter. Avi joined Luna, and everyone else was in the back of the van. During their underwater ride, the mood didn't change, which made Luna even more depressed.

Avi was aware of it, but didn't know how to uplift her spirits. - “Luna...” - She whispered, glancing to see if Luna would respond. - “...you'll see that everything will be fine.”

Luna looked at Avi slowly, then spoke. - “I know.”

Avi put her hand on Luna's leg, smiling gently to support her friend.

“I only wonder, for how long?” - Luna added.

The transporter arrived at the castle's docks without issues. All Luna had to do was hack the airlock and sneak them inside. She then equalized the water pressure inside to the station's internal level.

“The station is flooded, equip your helmets. We'll need to swim.” - Luna announced via intercom, then waited until everyone was ready and opened the door.

The group got out of the transporter, which was still surrounded by a bubble-like force field with air. Avi curiously touched the boundary between the air and water, causing small ripples on its surface.

Luna changed into her spherical form, then entered the water and pointed the way.

Virka quickly joined after deploying her flippers and asked - “Do you remember our plan?”

“Reconnaissance, sabotage, escape.” - Luna stated.

“Precisely.” - Virka replied. - “First, we must learn what happened to the sacrifice. There still must be someone alive here.”

“How do you plan to do this?” - Luna asked.

“We can confront them, or stealthily download their databases.” - Virka explained.

“A choice has to be made.” - Luna mentioned.

“I leave that choice to you.” - Virka decided.

Avi swam closer to them. - “We can do both. First, we learn the details, then we slam the truth right in their face and pass a sentence.” Chapters fırst released on NoveI-Fire.ɴet

“Whatever you wish.” - Luna uttered dispassionately, then opened a hatch that led to iron corridors.

“Do you know where to go?” - Virka asked Luna.

“No.” - Luna responded. - “There are no hackable cybernetics.”

This narrative has been purloined without the author's approval. Report any appearances on Amazon.

“To the right, then!” - Avi decided, sticking her head out beyond the doorway, but Virka immediately grabbed her and pulled back.

“Wait! Somebody is approaching!” - Virka warned. - “Luna, camouflage!”

Two creatures appeared from behind the tunnel's corner, both with toad-like faces and sharp teeth. Instead of legs, they had octopus-like tentacles, and their three-fingered hands held spears similar to the ones that lizard people were using. Below their gills, at the chest, there were stripes of translucent tissue, behind which there were color-changing vesicles.

Luna activated the stealth field and took a closer look. - “Give me a moment, I'll adjust your acoustic interpreters, so you can understand their speech and communicate with them.”

“...seaweed again, and the king is getting fatter.” - The first creature spoke. - “I would like to eat an ooze or tube worm, at least.”

“It's all because of the rafters and their mutiny... I hope they suffer in the bowels.” - The second replied.

The first creature laughed. - “I hope so, too.” - Then added. - “Fools, we are starving because of a few brats...” - He then cleared his throat and spat at the floor. - “...but their marrow was delicious, it was a true feast.”

Avi's blood was boiling. - “Bastards.” - She hissed.

“Hopefully, the deep gods will soon send the next batch for breeding.” - The creature continued. - “We will make up for the missing livestock.”

Avi couldn't take it anymore. - “I'm confronting them.”

“Wait!” - Virka grabbed her leg and stopped her.

“Let me go!” - Avi protested, struggling to free herself.

“Don't you see? They've communication devices. If they remain silent, we'll trigger the alarm.” - Virka explained in a hurry. - “Do you want someone to suffer unintentionally because of us?”

Avi calmed down, but was still burning with hatred. - “What do you suggest?”

“Luna?” - Virka called.

“I have found their communication node.” - Luna said. - “We'll learn more there.” - Then headed to the tunnel that the toads came from.

---

As they swam along the corridors, Avi studied the labels on the walls. They indicated that the group was approaching the kitchen. It was possible to hear many background noises above the flooded stairs, so Avi asked Luna to adjust the speakers in their helmets. Amid the sounds of cleavers and boiling water, hurried footsteps and chefs' calls could be heard.

“Did you hear!? Fresh! Not frozen, idiots!” - Somebody shouted. - “Unless you want to land in bowels, too.”

The steel door opened with a heavy creak, and two lizard people entered, wearing helmets and slave collars.

Virka moved closer to the wall to give them space to swim through. When they finally passed, Avi asked. - “Do you think we can ask them for help?”

“No.” - Virka said. - “Not until they are aware that they're no longer in any danger.”

As they swam up, Avi gazed at the closed doors, wondering what was behind them. She followed Virka, who turned towards the next chamber, which was locked behind a gate with a small window.

“What's in there?” - Avi asked and swam towards Virka.

Virka, however, blocked the sight with her hands. - “It doesn't matter, we need to find an alternate path.”

“Hey! Let me look!” - Avi protested.

Virka's expression became serious. - “Avi, you don't have to look at this.”

Avi said nothing and just grabbed Virka's arm, trying to lower it.

“If you say stuff like this, then I absolutely have to!” - Avi argued.

“Luna.” - Virka warned. - “That's the shortest path, but you have to strike fast and be precise.”

Luna nodded, and Virka allowed Avi to see.

Avi's face quickly became pale, and she collapsed to her knees. She was hyperventilating and having a panic attack. Charlotte immediately approached her, concerned.

“What's in there!?” - Nicolas shouted.

Luna scanned the room from behind the window, then added coldly and mercilessly. - “I'm heading in.”

When she disappeared, all of the lamps in the room behind the window exploded, leaving it in darkness. Many short screams and sounds of bending steel could be heard, then the silence fell.

Virka entered the room, letting Charlotte and Nicolas take care of Avi.

“Avi, take slow, deep breaths.” - Charlotte tried to calm the girl down.

“T-they... t-they all...” - Avi stuttered, then burst into tears, her hands tightly clutched Charlotte's spacesuit.

Nicolas could understand what she meant. - “We'll finish it alone, wait here.”

Upon hearing that, Avi rose unsteadily, leaning on Charlotte for support. - “I-I...” - Despite still being pale and afraid, her voice was resolute. - “I... must go there. I must... to...”

“I get it.” - Nicolas uttered and took Avi's hand to help her walk.

Amid the pitch-black silence, only Luna, unmoving, cast a faint glow over the back of the banquet hall. Avi rotated her helmet, using its lights to illuminate the path toward Luna. Scattered all over the steel plates and trays were chewed-up fragments of scaly limbs, over which hovered bloody water. Most likely, due to Luna, a skull chandelier crashed against the table, breaking it in half, which caused the viscera to cover it, and caused a red mist to surround it.

Avi carefully passed overturned chairs made of green skins when her eyes locked onto the dead, mushy eyes of the lizard dangling halfway off the table. The corpse was stuffed with algae and seaweed to the point it spilled out of its mouth and ripped-open stomach.

Nicolas knew Avi didn't feel well. - “Come, Luna is close.”

Avi let Nicolas's hand go and collapsed to her knees again, right in front of the body. - “Stars, forgive them, because I can't.” - She said in a faint voice.

Nicolas was waiting, but when she started to sob, he helped he up and led her all the way to the end.

---

“You're here at last.” - Luna uttered to Avi, her voice weak too.

“W-why?” - Avi stuttered.

Luna lowered her head. - “I don't know, I really don't know...”

Virka didn't pay attention to the girls' mental state and just reported. - “Their king.” - She pointed at an eight-meter-tall mass of fat, larger than the other toads. - “He had a control device. We preemptively disabled all the communication and locked all the doors.”

“And that would mean...?” - Nicolas asked.

“There are merely a few dozen steps to the communication node. It's right behind this door...” - Virka pointed. - “...nobody should disturb us. We only have to decide what to do with them.” - She pointed at the king's entourage, who were restrained with bars of steel.

“Luna...” - Avi uttered.

“Yes, Avi?” - Luna asked, it was clear she was already out of strength.

“Strip them of everything but their lives.” - Avi requested.

Luna silently agreed and opened the communication room. Inside, there was a person made of light, who looked like one of the lizard people. They frenetically called to the microphone. - “Mutiny in the capital! Mutiny in the capital!! Fry the brains of infidels, send the survivors to bowels! Immediately!”

“I temporarily disabled your equipment, so save yourself the trouble.” - Luna said as she hurled the operator down to the ground.

Virka, then, stepped on their wrist, causing them to scream in pain. There was a crack, and the lizard made of light turned back into another toad.

“Mimicking device.” - Virka informed.

Luna plugged the cable of the light into the control interface. - “I have global access. Their civilization is more primitive than lizard people. They were just luckier due to access to Anaari's abandoned technology. I disabled all of their technology... they most likely won't reach the stars anymore. Their planet isn't made for this. We don't even have to evacuate their victims to Goliath.”

“Good.” - Avi uttered quietly.

“You condemn their entire species.” - Virka commented. - “Is your decision final?”

Avi hesitated.

“Don't pity them.” - Luna unplugged. - “None of their outposts is without guilt. They know only cruelty. It's in their nature.”

Virka raised her eyebrow. - “You downloaded the data from the entire planet this fast?”

“Yes, and I began the evacuation of all facilities. Anaari's drones should keep things under control.” - Luna said. - “There is just one thing left.”

“Bowels.” - Virka assumed. - “Whatever they are.”

“It's devices made for prolonging life, used wrong.” - Luna explained. - “It's obsolete technology, but I still don't understand it too well.”

Nicolas sighed. - “If there's still room for discussion, then it means there must be a reason.”

“I wanted to hear everyone's opinion before deciding anything.” - Luna said. - “The aspect of physicality of the victim's bodies was affected lethally, but their psyche is isolated and can't be altered until I stop the process.”

“In plain terms?” - Nicolas requested.

“If I turn this off, they will die. If I don't turn this off, they'll continue to suffer.” - Luna explained.

Avi collapsed and grabbed her head. Her fingers clawed into the helmet. - “Luna... we... we can't decide for them! We can't kill them!”

“I can't ask them what they think, if that's what you ask for. It's impossible.” - Luna stated.

Nicolas buried his face in his hands and lowered his head. - “Luna, just turn it off.” - He uttered in resignation.

“I vote the same.” - Virka added.

“Their blood will ultimately be on my hands.” - Luna whispered, hesitating. She was looking at Avi.

Avi, in tears, said. - “Luna, no. That's not fair!”

“I won't do that unless you agree. That's all I ask you for, please understand.” - Luna uttered.

Avi wrapped her arms around her knees. She didn't want to answer.

“Avi.” - Virka stooped over Avi. - “We can always save them with Eden. This fate is a mercy.”

“...but what... what if their deaths will be final?” - Avi asked.

“Then, that awaits all of us. Does it matter if it happens now or later? We all will return to the void.” - Virka said.

Avi was silent for a very long time. - “Luna... Virka... Dad... I disagree with you, but I won't judge you, no matter what you decide.”

“That's enough for me.” - Luna uttered with relief, then inputted the command and broadcasted the signal to the entire planet.