5364

Daystar Research Facility, Folcantus

A repeating beeping tone sounded from his desk's speaker. Gwar reached out and pressed down on a button in acknowledgement. The holographic emitters on the table lit up, and a transparent display with the Icenin emblem appeared. The icon quickly changed to the face of one of the Empire's fleet admirals.

"Admiral Pundus. I've bee-

Without regard for pleasantries, Pundus interrupted him, "So, you're telling me one of those creatures is still alive on Folcantus?"

"Evidently, sir," Gwar croaked. "This could not be more fantastic."

Gwar was puzzled. The Empire and its allies had gone to great lengths eradicating the Holhup from Folcantus a few years ago.

What? Fantastic?

Pundus asked, "Professor, does Daystar have any Holhup containment cells in operation?"

Still confused, Gwar answered, "We still... have 3, in the exobio wing. But, they were brought offline, af-"

"Bring them back online."

"Why?"

"Because I want you to capture that thing."

Flashbacks ran through Gwar's mind. The destruction of Horkik Station. The battle in The Caverns. Orbital bombardment of Folcantus. He questioned, "Admiral? Is that, really, wise?"

The Admiral reached beside the camera's field of view and checked several displays off-screen.

"Is this line secure?"

Gwar glanced at a small readout on his desk, showing that his end was encrypted.

"It is, here."

Pundus tapped a control below him. The holographic projection shifted, moving the image of the Admiral's face to the left while showing a new datasheet on the right half.

Pundus went on, "These are our latest casualty reports. Asteroid mines Amuhe and Ithak destroyed. Plydo shipyards in ruins. The Fish are returning to the offensive, Gwar. Soon we'll lose control of the Tyrum perimeter."

"I, don't understand. What, does all this, have to do with the... Holhup?"

"It's common knowledge the Holhup have paradimensional metal-absorbing capabilities. I want that weaponised. If we can harness its abilities, we could cripple the Fish's motherships easily."

"Admiral, with, all due respect, even if we disregard the, "it's a sentient life form, we can't do this to it" aspect, the last time we tried to, capture, a Holhup, it resulted in the, destruction, of Horkik station," Gwar protested.

Pundus shot back, "Professor. This is war. I couldn't give less of a fuck about the Holhup's life. Get me something usable against the Fish."

Before Gwar could respond, the screen cut to black and was replaced yet again by the Empire's symbol of cyan and orange. He sighed and resigned himself to do his duty. He pressed down on a communications panel and said, "This is Gwar. All senior officers, report to, my office, now." T h e c o m m u n i c a t i o n s l i n e e n d e d automatically. In the wait for his crew to arrive, he held his finger down on one of the physical buttons, activating a push-to-talk system for

interacting with the facility's computer.

"Bring up logs, dating 5362. Horkik station."

"47 logs recovered. 2 video logs recovered," replied the artificial monotone voice.

"Play, first video log."

"Loading."

The holographic display grew opaque changed to a recording from the view of one of Horkik station's cameras. It showed a corridor with debris scattered on the floor. Fires crackled in the distance. From below and out of frame, a ragged looking man sprung up. His once white uniform was stained with soot and blood. On his torn sleeve bore rank and division insignia. A lieutenant, scientist.

"This is Horkik station! We need immediate help! That... thing! The guards just dropped dead before they could shoot! I don't know how, it's, it's, the metal! We can't contain it! Please, if anyone is receiving this, send h-"

The speakers blasted out the sound of an explosion. Screams of fellow researchers echoed.

"Federation?! Empire?! Pl-" It ended abruptly.

"Play second video log."

"Loading."

The projection came back to life, showing the view of a lab from a security camera. The same researcher can be seen, in good health, manning a terminal outside a containment chamber. Several other scientists walked around the room, monitoring displays and readouts.

"This is Doctor Marju. We've pumped oneirogen-224 into the cell. Vortex the creature in."

With a green glow and an energy bubble, something appeared within the cell's energy fields. Silvery, grey and metallic, the creature had a humanoid resemblance with four limbs, a torso and a head. Bioluminescent veins glowed a neon blue all across its spiky and jagged body. The researchers did not notice, but the faint light emitted by the creature slowly increased in intensity. It looked skeletal in nature but did not have clearly defined bones.

"Shit, the sedative isn't working as intended, but the fields should hold. Alright. Scanning for a skeletal struc- wait what in the-"

The lights started to flicker. Its veins turned into a shade of violet.

"Security to bio lab two! Securi-"

The energy barrier deactivated. Marju slammed a big red button on his console.

"Get out of here! That thing's-"

Two researchers fell dead. Marju fled the laboratory and security officers swarmed the lab. The creature lashed out with one of his arms, though they were too short to reach the guards. Yet, the officers collapsed lifelessly to the floor with a clatter.

The doorbell chimed just as the recording ended. Gwar turned off the hologram and buzzed them in. Noise emanated from the corridor outside as the doors slid open, and 4 silhouettes stood at the entranceway.

"Welcome."

He reached out for the touchpanel on his desk and tapped a button labelled "Privacy Mode". In response, his office's transparent windows fogged up. He slid a slider below that, marked "Security Level" to the right, up until "3". With a buzz, energy force-fields activated on both sides of the door and window frames. In front of Gwar stood his four senior officers, Stravan, Takre, Jashyr and Alydine.

"What's this 'bout?" asked Jashyr. The youngest of them, his boyish looks carried a brash attitude at times. He was the chief medical officer of the facility.

"All of you, have been briefed, by Stravan, about the Holhup, incident, two days ago. I've received, orders, from the council, that we are to, capture it."

Jashyr and Alydine said in unison, "Are they

mad?"

"Orders, are, orders."

Jashyr exclaimed, "With, all due respect, sir, not only is that unethical as hell, do you have any idea how fucking dangero-"

Gwar's old voice grew stern. "Lieutenant, you will stand down. Takre, please, take over."

Takre, the compound's head of security, took out a datapad from his pocket. He looked at it and summarised, "We've lost contact with five more stations. Falpa and Harpa on the northern perimeter. Elgan, Oragan and Tarpan on the eastern front. If what we learnt about the Holhup still holds true, it's absorbed enough metal and energy to be at peak metabolism and strength. And enough that it now emits a faint EM field. Could use that to track it."

Jashyr butted in. "Yeah. It was probably injured all those years ago when Icenin bombed this planet to shit and only now has the strength to heal itself." He grunted in discontent.

"Well, once you track it down, the lab has the containment chambers ready," Alydine said. Her voice was calm and smooth, contrasting the male officers'. She donned a white science uniform, dissimilar to her colleagues' dark navy blue. Alydine was the science head of department.

Finally, the head of operations, Stravan, spoke. "I've been down at the shipyards. We've gotten the modified ambiship Stymanuk back online."

Takre faced to Stravan. "The Intimus-Class one? Was that the one modified to use as few metal alloys as possible against the Holhup during their invasion?"

"That's right. It'd been sitting at the hangar rotting, but we brought it back from FUBAR status. I'll draft a plan of attack to get the Holhup."

"Need my help?" asked Takre.

"Wouldn't mind," Stravan replied. He turned to look at Gwar. "Professor?"

"Report back once, you get a plan, of attack.

Dismissed. You too, Alydine."

Stravan and Takre turned to leave. Alydine lingered and said, "I'll report back once we synthesise a suitable Holhup sedative. I also suggest evacuating the base of any non-essential personnel."

"Good idea. Pass it along to, Stravan and, Takre, on your way out."

Gwar moved his fingers across the controls, deactivating the energy barriers blocking the door. Alydine caught up with Stravan and Takre. She talked to them as the doors parted and they headed out to the corridor. Once gone, Gwar turned the security level back up.

With only himself and Gwar in the room, Jashyr did not hesitate to speak. "Sir, this is wrong. Morally. Ethically. Even logically wrong. There's no damned reason we should be capturing it. You didn't say it outright, but I can tell. We're capturing it for study. Torture it, dissect it, to learn its secrets. How the hell do you expect us to partake in this?"

Gwar went on, saying, "You're still young, Lieutenant. You haven't seen, the bloodshed of war, firsthand. Alydine, Stravan, and Takre have. The war effort is going, badly. The council wants... anything, that we can use against, the Fish.

Including tech based on, Holhup metal absorption."

"Oh? So we're stooping down this low just to win this war now, huh? How can you call yourself a scientist if yo..."

As Jashyr shouted and rambled, Gwar tapped the touchpanel on his desk. The room's sound system went live with static. Jashyr was too engrossed in his self-righteousness to notice. With discreet movements, he played an audio file.

"...e this day where you betra-" Jashyr stopped.

"...have failed. Shield generators are down to 3% from bombardment. Guardships have been destroyed and-" an explosion goes off in the background. Screams are heard. "Find cover! Get to the core! We need immediate assistance. Please."

Gwar tapped at the controls once more. "Another round of bombs just struck. Mining

complex two and six are down. Particulate ventilation systems are offline, atmosphere's becoming toxic. I don't know if anyone is listening to this, but if you are - goodbye."

Static.

Gwar breathed in sharply. "Those were the last transmissions from Ithak and Amuhe. We're losing the line. Without something to, give us an edge, over the Fish, this war will be lost. I doubt you want more, bloodshed."

Jashyr turned and headed for the door. Gwar disabled the security field, and he left without a word.

Sympathy, Gwar thought, is powerful.

{•}

Standing in front of a large platoon of troops, Stravan addressed them.

"Welcome aboard the ISS Stymanuk. Our mission is simple. The Stymanuk will fly through the large Folcantian caverns. At every juncture indicated by the sensor perimeter, a security team will be dispatched to search for the Holhup. All of you are donning EP armour, but that does not mean you're invincible against the Holhup's attacks. You have a range of 5 meters before the armour is rendered ineffective. Also, the creature must be captured alive. The PB1 rifles you have equipped have been modified with a sedative and tagging projectile. Shoot it with it. Once we affirm a lock, we'll transport it aboard. Understood?"

A resounding "Yes, sir!" reverberated through the hallways of the ship.

"Dismissed."

The officers spread out on their way and vacated the rally room. Stravan stepped down from his podium and turned around, headed to the bridge. Ascending a short flight of stairs, he arrived at the ship's command centre. Stravan looked at the tactical station and saw Takre, identifying him by his distinct hair, dyed blue.

"Nice of you to join us on the actual mission, Takre."

"Wouldn't miss a chance to get out of that boring place," he responded.

"On that, I can agree."

Stravan took his place in the captain's chair. Looking at the operations station, he ordered, "Lieutenant. Signal Daystar control we're about to depart." Stravan did not have time to familiarise himself with the crew manifest and called his officers by rank and position.

"Aye, sir. Daystar acknowledges."

Turning to Takre, Stravan continued, "Takre.

Electrify and polarise the hull."

Takre tapped at his touchscreen controls and responded, "Hull strengthened and electrified."

"Good," Stravan said. He twisted his chair back to face the main screen. "Helm. Take us out on the designated path. Speed at your discretion."

On the rear of the Stymanuk, two red engines started to glow, and a steady stream of red-hot plasma flowed out of them. The grey and silvery ship began to move. The caverns of Folcantus were expansive, allowing ships to be flown through them. The Intimus-class, a medium-sized vessel, was equipped for both space and atmospheric flight. Small thrusters lining the bottom of the main hull shot jets out, allowing the ship to maintain its level with the horizon. It accelerated away from Daystar's underground complex.

{•}

Stravan yawned and moved his hand away from the armrest, revealing the integrated control panel. He looked at the chronometer, and it read 19 07.

Just over four hours.

A beep came from Takre's station. He tapped a button in acknowledgement, silencing it. He said, "We've arrived at station Protan. Transporting troops."

On cavern ground below, four green glows materialised. The energy bubbles dissolved and four soldiers of the Empire stood in their place. Hovering above, the Stymanuk's exterior illumination cast light upon them and the cave. They moved out, hunting for the Holhup.

The conn officer, an Ensign at the helm, reported, "Team thirteen away. Setting course f-"

He was interrupted by the operations Lieutenant, who shouted, "Commander! We're receiving a flash audio transmission from Daystar, Commander Alydine!"

Stravan jolted to alertness and said, "On speakers!"

The audio system crackled to life.

"Stravan! Get back here, now! The Holhup's here!"

In the background of the transmission, an officer is heard shouting, "Commander! It's breached the outer rim! Security fields failing!"

"Scramble all teams! Lockdown all outer s-"

The line cut abruptly and was replaced by white noise. Stravan sat straight and ordered, "Helm! Change heading, set a course for Daystar, best possible speed! Takre, contact all teams, tell them to regroup at Daystar's eastern entrance and warn them of the Holhup presence."

The two aft thrusters of the Stymanuk roared to life, and the ship started accelerating through the caverns. The pair of engines left a trail of

exhaust and ionised gas as the vessel swerved through the winding caverns, back to base.

{•}

As the Stymanuk floated past a towering, building- sized stalagmite, the docking bay of Daystar came into view. Where once was a pristine wall of docking ports and boarding bridges now stood a metal wall tattered with holes and scorch marks.

"Helm, bring us in at manoeuvring thrusters. Find the closest undamaged docking port and attach the clamps. Takre, get down and gather all the remaining security teams. Meet me at the airlock, we're going in," Stravan said.

"Aye, sir," Takre replied.

Stravan stood up from his seat and unholstered his sidearm. Grabbing a power pack from his tactical belt, he stuffed it into the pistol with a click.