154: Timaeus and Critias – One
Deep in the Gorgon, at the round table within their meeting room, stood two disparate crews - the statuesque members of the Gorgon herself, and the court of Queen Kaizoku. Projected above the table between them was an image from their last engagement, the Dolabra alight with unreleased energy as it emerged from subspace, caught in the frame just before it fired upon both friend and foe alike.
Kaizoku's metal hand scraped against the surface of the table as both of hers clenched into fists as she growled, "How did this happen."
A furious rattle sounding deep within their chest, Ladon hissed, "We fell for a trap, plain and simple. Our agents had been observing our target's retreat through multiple systems, noted the pattern of how they would hop in and out of subspace in order to top up their necessities at outposts on regular intervals, and fully believed that the pattern would continue as such when the group made it to this system. Ships cannot be tracked through subspace, as you well know, and so when the Dolabra made the jump, leaving the bulk of their fleet behind, as it had done so on numerous times over the course of their return to Thalatte space, we thought nothing of it. We assumed they'd headed off for the next outpost on their journey home. Given that we'd planned on launching our strike here, we felt no need to send forces ahead to ensure the Dolabra's arrival elsewhere."
The gauntlets of her own armour screeching against the table, Enyo continued, "A ship as important as the Dolabra doubtlessly had a QECD of their own, the partner to it left in this system to signal the trap to spring. Unless we knew of the precise location of the communicator in question beforehand, we simply had no way to intercept such a message. This was a tactically sound manoeuvre pulled off by members of the most highly trained and best funded military in the galaxy. We were simply outplayed."
"A costly trap, to both us and their own forces," Medusa scoffed, the snarling visage of her helmet reflecting her vicious mood, "With a single sneak attack, they wiped out two thirds of both their own ships and ours. They're touting this as a major victory for themselves, despite the completely unacceptable loss of life that resulted. They gave us exactly what we wanted, just at a cost none of us were expecting to pay."
"And so what now?" General Grim asked, her hard gaze locked on the image of the Dolabra.
"For now, we regroup," Stheno said, arms crossed as she faced the deadly ship, "We mourn. This was a tragedy, I will not pretend otherwise. But our enemies have stopped hounding our trails so persistently, for the moment, at least. I fully intend on taking advantage of this costly sacrifice, for spite, if nothing else."
"For spite," Kaizoku said, her eyes - both flesh and mechanical - glittering with hate, "On that, we agree."
Moods were brighter when the crews of the Pelekys and Gorgon met for a farewell lunch on Geatu Station, their filming obligations squared away and their next destinations awaiting on their horizons.
"Now that we've got the QECD between us, we won't need to worry about having to hope we're in comparable time zones or spaces enough to stay in contact with one another." Adyt said as her drone made a lazy loop around their joint table.
"It also means we can shit talk all of you all the time now, so you better watch it!" Viatrix joked, bobbing alongside her.
Letting out a trilling laugh, Sara shook their head fondly. "Rapscallions, the pair of you! Can't believe we spent so much to give you two a personal hotline!"
"Right?" Rhea said, her eyes glittering with mirth, "Spoiled brats."
Glancing across the crew of the Pelekys, coffee in hand, Leto said, "So, headed for the rim, huh?"
"That's the plan," Malakh told her, "May as well scope out the area where this thing is supposed to emerge. Maybe poking around will give us some kind of timetable we can work with. And I hear you lot are going to be looking at weapons?"
"Very much so," Phoebe replied, something vicious in the tilt of her smile, "There's a couple pieces we're looking at, so at the moment we need to look into seeing how we can… liberate them from their current owners."
"Have you any need of us, we are only a quantum particle away." Pryseia promised.
"And the same goes for you too," Phoebe promised right back, "We're family by marriage, after all. We gotta look out for one another."
The journey to their destination, even with subspace, was going to take a few days, so they stocked up on supplies before they left, making a shopping trip of it with the crew of the Gorgon just to prolong their time together.
But eventually the time came for the two crews to go their separate ways, and it was with many a tearful embrace that they separated back to their own ships, the Pelekys and Gorgon pulling away from Geatu Station, headed for opposite ends of the galaxy.
With the pastel light of subspace filling the view screen, Nevara locked in their course, turning her seat to face the rest of the room as she asked, "In terms of our narrative, how are we going to be going about our next endeavour?"
"I have… notions," Rhea began pacing, "Unfortunately I think a lot of it is gonna hinge on what we actually find out there."
On the view screen, Viatrix brought up a star map of their destination - a relatively nondescript patch of space with not a whole lot to differentiate it from anywhere else along the edge of the galaxy.
"Thankfully the Omega scanner isn't relying on a static star map, so the one we got out of it is up to date, rather than one from the Hyttan era, so we didn't need to worry about calculating galactic drift or accounting for new or missing stars and the like. Thankfully this type of navigation information was something we've been able to replicate by backwards engineering Hyttan stuff, which is what most modern nav systems are built on, making compatibility in that regard a non-issue. But even still, it's built for big picture stuff, not a more detailed look at a system as a whole, so coupled with the fact that the edge of the galaxy isn't exactly a hotbed for exploration efforts, while we've got exact coordinates, we're going to be going in blind. From what information I've been able to get about the area, it looks like we're bound for empty space instead of a system."
Arms crossed and knee bouncing in her seat, Malakh speculated, "Maybe it's going to be a wormhole type anomaly? This is where the Omega is going to be crawling out of Death or wherever the hell the Hyttan sent it, so ostensibly this is the location where they sealed it away? Because unless I'm misremembering, I got the impression that there was only the one, hm, door to it, for lack of a better word?"
Popping her avatar up on the view screen, Viatrix said, "From what I got from whatever echo of the Hyttan spoke to me when I got my upgrade, I got the sense that the Omega was sealed away somewhere else from wherever it initially emerged from. The image I got was that the Hyttan went turning over stones they shouldn't have, and the Omega came scuttling out from under one that they really should not have been fucking around with. There was a lot of imagery of an invasive species being set loose in an environment that had no way to defend against it, and less the idea that we have to kill this thing - I got the sense that even with the power of Storlayacas, we simply won't be able to - but that we're to toss it back to wherever it came from and shove the rock back in place over the hole. But like everything that's been imparted to us by the pieces of Storlayacas and the like, it was all a lot of metaphor that I don't really know translated one to one for what I took away from it all."
"This language barrier is never going to stop being a problem for us, is it?" Elytra said sadly, "Do you think, when we deal with the Omega, that block in understanding will go away?"
"I want it to, but I'm not going to pin my hopes on that happening," Malakh said, shooting her an apologetic look, "From what I got when I communed with Castore, the Omega took something fundamental from us that prevents the past from being understood by anything that came after it. Imagery again, but I don't think it was a physical, tangible thing. I think the Omega fundamentally rewrote something in the rules of how our universe works, and it did so as a last, pointed 'fuck you' to the Hyttan before they dragged it under. No living thing, organic or inorganic, has been able to translate any Hyttan language, be it one of words or numbers or sounds, and we've got access to more computational power than we should need to complete such a task. I think if it's going to be restored, it's going to have to be done so willingly, and I have a sneaking suspicion that the Omega is more likely to take something else when we boot it out of here than it will be to give whatever it took back."
Tipping her head back against her seat, Elytra let out a groan. "You're probably right. Spite seems to be a running theme with everything we deal with."
"I know it's the reason I'm currently thriving." V'tala said with a sardonic little smile, seated on the arm of Pryseia's throne so she could loop her own around the woman's shoulders.
Canted over enough so she could lean into V'tala's side, Pryseia shot the pacing Rhea a look as she said, "Perhaps we can film just an introduction for now, stating our goals and whatnot for the next beat in our story. I worry about broadcasting live when we initially arrive at our destination, because as Vi said, we're going to be going in blind, and given that uncertainty, our focus should be on solving what mysteries we can rather than remaining in character."
"Definitely agree with you on that front," Rhea pointed a finger at her as she passed by on another loop, "After the surprise in our last live broadcast, I'm fine with maintaining a little more control over our variables and letting Elytra go ham in the edits."
Elytra nodded to that. "And like you said, I've got some notions, but nothing concrete until we get a little more information about where we're bound. It's a little hard to brainstorm when we've got next to nothing to work with."
In the Pelekys' own round meeting room, the court of Queen Kaizoku was sat around the circular table in the centre of it all, the screen of it displaying a patch of space that looked almost artificially unremarkable.
"The rim of the galaxy," Queen Kaizoku said, hands braced against the table as she glared at the screen, "The place where the Omega will emerge at some point in the future, and our next destination."
"And what do we know about this place?" Chancellor Bathory asked, eyes scanning the expanse on display.
"Very little," the Queen's Red Left Hand told her, "This far out on the edge, there was little in the way to make it worth the effort of a more detailed scan. We just know what stars are in the area, and the coordinates we're bound for aren't anywhere near one."
Glancing over at Madame Augury, Bathory asked, "Any insight you can share on your end?"
"Not as of yet, and that's not for a lack of trying." The seer told her.
"Given the amount of unknown variables that await us, I am, of course, bringing us in under full stealth," General Grim said, "I've quite had my fill of surprised for the time being."
This was met with dark murmurs of agreement all around.
Nodding down at the screen, the Knight of the Tomb said, "Given that this is the site where the Omega will reemerge from wherever it was the Hyttan sent it, I would assume that there are defensive measures in place around it. No doubt the Hyttan will have done what they could to keep this place protected in the interim."
On the screen, the Program's avatar blinked into being as it said, "No doubt our ability to scan for Hyttan objects will prove useful once we arrive, to seek out traps or whatever else may have been left behind. I will have it up and running the instant we emerge from subspace."
Kaizoku let out a thoughtful hum, her brow furrowed as she stared down at the screen. "There is much that is hidden from us at this juncture, and I have no compunctions with letting you know that it does not sit easy with me, especially in light of our encounter with the Dolabra. To be caught unawares a second time so soon would be unforgivable, and so we will exercise the utmost caution when we arrive at our destination. In regards to anything involving the Omega, failure is not an option."
The court of Queen Kaizoku was in unanimous agreement with that.
Nevara genuinely enjoyed cooking, especially for others. It had been a mandatory skill taught to all the children in the group home she grew up in, where much like here, they'd all take turns learning as much as doing. Under the Thalatte, food was provided by drones programmed to cook and nothing more, as the thalatte within the military didn't want to debase themselves by preparing meals for beings they considered animals, while those enslaved by them weren't trusted to be around the makeshift arsenal that the equipment in a kitchen was. And so getting the chance to cook again was a luxury that Nevara was more than happy to take advantage of.
It also helped that she enjoyed cooking with others, especially Pryseia. They'd lived together as roommates for some time before their capture, the both of them halving the chores in their home. When they'd been stuck on shifts that had kept them apart, they'd always make sure to make more than enough food for the both of them, regardless of whether they got to eat together or not.
But here, on the Pelekys, they didn't need to worry about differing schedules. They operated on their own time now, and their family had grown beyond more than just the two of them. Sure, they faced danger on the regular, and had been pulled into a conflict older than all their races combined, but Nevara had to admit that they really were living the dream. Freed from captivity, they'd gained a trio of new loved ones, and Pryseia finally had the type of relationship she'd longed for.
"She really makes you happy, doesn't she?" She asked quietly, chopping herbs for the sauce she was in the middle of mixing together.
From further down the counter, her metal hand gloved up to prevent the dough she was kneading from gumming it up, Pryseia let out a breathless laugh, eyes bright as she said, "She truly does. I must admit, it sometimes does not feel real, that she feels for me as I feel for her. I don't…"
"You don't feel like you deserve it." Nevara picked up where she left off, shooting her a knowing look.
"V'tala has gone above and beyond to reiterate the fact that she wants this, with me of all people," was Pryseia's quiet response, "I… sincerely hope I am doing the same. Nevara, she means so much to me, she has for quite some time. But I let my own issues in regards to my self worth blind me to the veracity of her reciprocal feelings, to the point where I outright denied them when she confessed them to me. That hurt her terribly, and I've been hurting all of you terribly for far longer, sacrificing myself for you at the slightest provocation."
Nevara sighed, setting down her knife so she could fully face her oldest friends as she said, "I'm glad you've finally realized that this was not something that any of us wanted."
"I'm only sorry it took me so long to reach this most obvious of conclusions," Pryseia told her, a desperate sincerity radiation off of her as she turned to face Nevara in return, "I caused you all undue stress with my reckless disregard for my own life during our time of incarceration, and I fully intend to make it up to you all. I can only do that so long as I remain alive, and so alive I will remain."
Nevara's heart stumbled in her ribs at that, a relief washing over her powerful enough that her eyes welled with tears. She was in front of Pryseia in two strides, pulling her into a hug with her forearms, trying to keep her herb stained hands from getting aromatics all over the other woman's shirt. She felt Pryseia's arms slip around her waist in an equally awkward hold, hands kept out to prevent dough from getting all over her as Pryseia dropped her head onto Nevara's shoulder.
"You had better," Nevara told her, leaning her own head against hers, "For as long as we were in captivity, for starters. We have so much of life to catch up on, our years stolen as they were. Beyond the Omega, whenever that darkens our doorstep. I want centuries with you yet, my friend, and you had best deliver."
"I will, I swear to you," Pryseia promised into her shoulder, holding her tighter, "I will do all in my power to keep us safe, myself included. I owe you all that much, and so much more."
"And if you don't, know that I will follow you into death. I don't wish to live in a world without you in it." Nevara swore right back to her, and Pryseia could only nod and sob against her, her own feelings on the matter exactly the same.