Ex Nihilo - Abyssal Prophecy

Chapter 27

None of the passengers on the lift spoke. Only the grind of metal echoed as it ascended to the officer level. Gabriel, Magnus, Kain, and Matthew struggled with their own emotions. Once they arrived, Captain Gabriel strode towards the bridge before halting at the gate. He looked to his first officer.

            “Take Matthew to the armoury and get him fitted for some proper power armour. Since he’s going to be joining, he should be outfitted with the best his family and clan can offer him. Meet me on the bridge when you finish.” Gabriel motioned to Magnus to follow him. Together, the two headed down the hall towards the bridge.

            The guards saluted their captain when he entered, as did Celeris and Joshua. Gabriel checked the engineering screens near his son. From the readings, he could see they were ready to test the new FTL drive. He patted his son on the back.

            “Get everything in order for the FTL jump. Familiarize yourself with the navigation and controls, Lieutenant. Celeris, take all precautions to prevent any damage to Chief Joshua. I’ll return in a moment. Captain Void, make yourself comfortable in my first officer's chair.” He pointed.

The doors to the captain’s quarters slid open and he walked towards the hidden vault on the wall. Pressing his hand on the metal, the hidden scanner confirmed his identity.

            The metal slid down to the floor. Before Gabriel was his family power armour. He ran his hand down the sleek black and crimson metal, feeling a rush of memories and emotions. Accessing the armour with his neural implant, he watched the metal plates unlock and the center torso lift. Behind him, he heard the noise of the door opening and his wife’s footsteps.

            He climbed into the power armour and felt the familiar feeling of the neural implant being connected to the suit's neural cable. Standing in front of him, his wife stared. Once he was synced with the armour, Gabriel sent the command to seal the suit.  Towering over his wife, he viewed her through the closed helmet. She reached out to grab the armour at several points. It was her duty to ensure that her husband was prepared to go into battle. Though she loathed doing this task, she reminded herself it was just another way to keep him lulled into a false sense of security. Stepping back, she smiled and prepared to use this moment to her opportunity.

            “It has been a long time, dear husband, since you went into battle. I hope you remember how to use it. What has caused you to need your family power armour?”

            “The time has come to raid the outpost with Captain Void.”           

“Well, do return safely, my love. Your daughter and I will be waiting here.” Helena watched her husband leave the room and the door to the bridge whisk shut behind him. Once he was gone, she rushed back to her room. It was time for her to set into motion her plans. She knew that another chance like this might not ever come around again.

            ***

            Kain led his brother to the armoury. They passed row after row of empty power armour stations. In the back was a single solid piece of power armour in perfect condition. He knew his father must have had his brother Hephaestus deliver it while he was asleep, and he suspected his father was planning a trap. After a thorough investigation revealed it was safe, he motioned to his brother to get into it.

            “Hephaestus made this armour specifically for you, Matthew. It’s brand new and in many ways superior to all the power armour on this ship. Forgive the fact it still has to be painted in the family colours. I am sure we can arrange that when we get back. I guess you’ll have to show us your true colours before you earn the family colours,” Kain joked.

            Climbing into the armour filled Matthew with a strange sensation. Everything felt so different from the last armour he had worn. This armour was much more agile and responsive, but he didn’t know if that was because of his neural implant or its design. This felt like a true extension of his body. Systems reported that everything was ready to go. Stepping forward he retracted his helmet with a thought and looked at his brother.

            “I don’t want the family colours.  When I get back, this armour will be painted ivory with black trim. I want my enemies to see me coming, to feel the fear as I approach, and to know their death has come for them.”

Kain just shook his head and tried not to laugh. He had seen this happen to many others when they first entered power armour after the ascension.

            “Be careful, Matthew. This isn’t a toy. It’s the most potent drug ever. You’ll feel almost unstoppable in it, but I promise you that is not true. Treat every battle like you’re marching off to death, and maybe then you’ll have a chance to come back in one piece,” Kain cautioned.

            “Hey, I’ve survived battle already.”

            “You have, and I have never been prouder of you. I just don’t want you dying on this mission. Perhaps you don’t see it because of your age but be warned, little brother, many people see you as you see this suit of armour. A tool they can use to make themselves powerful.”

            The two brothers returned to the bridge. Kain motioned for his brother to go on ahead of him, and he entered his quarters. He accessed his power armour vault with his neural implant. Climbing inside, he felt the familiar sensation of the neural connection washing through his mind. Stepping forward with a loud thud, the feeling of being home washed over him.

            He returned to the bridge to see his father talking to Joshua.  He was explaining the upgrades to his father.            “We’re almost ready to go, Kain.” Gabriel smiled. “Joshua was explaining some precautions he’d like to take just to be safe. Don’t need any more accidents on this old ship after yesterday.”

            “I suggest we shut down all power to the wards and bridge. Lord Hephaestus and Vulcan suspect there could be a power surge when the FTL drive is used. This way, we safeguard all the essential systems. With the emergency power, the bridge will be fully operational.” Joshua explained.

            “How long will the wards be without power?” Kain asked.

            “A few minutes, at most. Once we’ve completed the jump, we’ll power everything back up. Not long enough to cause any problems or do any permanent harm,” Joshua replied.

            “Good work,” Gabriel congratulated him. “Get everything ready to go on my order. But, first, I want ship-wide communications.” He marched to the center of the bridge to stare at the viewscreen.

Joshua activated the ship-wide communication system and prepared to activate his fail-safes. Everyone turned to look at Gabriel .

“Crew of the Alcatraz, you have long endured on little as our resources dwindled. I know many of you fear that we are near our end. The attack by the alien creatures only further escalated the danger we were already in. Aliens came to destroy us, but other aliens came to help us. With the aid of Captain Magnus Void and his crew, we’re about to grasp our destiny. In a moment, all power to the wards will be suspended, but do not worry. This isn’t a malfunction, but a failsafe to protect us all. We’re about to use a new faster-than-light drive to reach an outpost. We will descend and seize the resources and technology there. Do not fear the future. I promise you it’s yours,” Gabriel proclaimed.

He turned to Joshua and motioned for him to cut communication. Following the order, Joshua activated the fail-safes. On the screen, power stopped flowing to the Lower Wards, the Upper Wards, and then the Core Wards. The lights flashed out in the bridge, and a low hum began when backup generators kicked in. Flashing back to life, the bridge returned to normal operations.

            “Take us to the outpost, Chief,” Gabriel commanded.

            “Activating FTL drive in five, four, three, two, one...” Joshua stated.

On the screen, power readings showed Lord Hephaestus was bringing the reactor to one hundred percent operational power. The entire ship shuddered and, on the viewscreen, the edges began to blur. A bright flash of light emanated from the viewscreen. Another sudden shake precipitated a bright flash. On the screen, a massive space station floated in a dense debris field.

            Gabriel had never seen anything like it before. Much like the Alcatraz, there were hints of decay on the metal, but the station appeared to be in much better shape. Small craft flew around the colossal station that was at least one hundred times larger than the Alcatraz. Scanners showed the small craft were automated drones. The drones zipped back and forth from thousands of destroyed remnants of ships. They were floating in what appeared to be a graveyard.

            “Captain, sensors are detecting the enemy station is scanning us, and they’re powering up weapon systems,” Joshua informed him.

            “I can’t manoeuvre in all this junk!” Celeris shouted.

            Magnus rushed to the engineering console and pushed Joshua aside. With a few button presses, Magnus transmitted a code to the station and stepped away from the console. The warning vanished from the sensor screens. Joshua breathed a sigh of relief before turning to his father.

            “Whatever it is he just did, the station is recognizing us as a friendly vessel. It’s hailing us a repeating message welcoming us to research post Alpha and giving us landing directions. I’ll feed them down to the docking bay now,” Joshua declared.

            Gabriel marched across the bridge, grabbed Captain Void, and lifted him.

            “What the hell was that?”

            “I was afraid if I told you the station was operational and possessed this much firepower you’d refuse. There was never any danger. On my last trip here, I stole the clearance and landing codes, but I was worried you wouldn’t believe me. In my experience, it is better to ask for forgiveness than permission.” Magnus fell back to the floor when Gabriel let go.

            “Always tell me the full truth in the future,” he insisted. “Chief Joshua, you have the bridge.”

            Gabriel led his sons out of the bridge with Magnus following behind. The group headed to the main lift and descended to the core level. Exiting the lift, the group marched to the docking bay.

When they arrived, they saw the troops moving into the mining craft. Gabriel stood at the platform feeling a sense of destiny wash over him. This was the moment that would be immortalized on his death tapestry. The moment future generations would remember for all time.