Celestial Fire

Aurora and I walked side by side. Making our way out of the cafe area, back into the greater Public Sector. Our hands scrapping against each others as we went along. Only an extremely well trained eye, might have noticed it. Though all the traffic in the area, probably made it impossible to spot. Or at least seem harmless. In reality, we were both thinking the same thing……. “How fun it would be to take each other right there, in a back corridor”…. No would would ever know, well at least that would be the plan. Yet, it was too risky.

The alliance, frowns on intimate relationships among colleagues. Especially, when on sensitive assignments. If it was discovered, that Aurora had been intimate… We would most likely be separated, and reassigned to different locations. Not an ideal situation at all for us.

As we got closer to the main corridors, they branched off to other areas of the outpost. Station demeanor changed. Going from pleasure, to strictly business.

I laughed to myself a little, when I noticed one of the last shops on the level above us, was called “Shady Zeph’s Market Wonders”.

Trying not to look too unprofessional, but amused enough to catch Aurora’s glimpse as she glanced over her shoulder. Quickly surveying the area, putting details to memory. Aurora smirked at me, quickly biting her lower lip, indicating she knew what had caught my attention.

Aurora and I widened our distance from each other, as we entered the underpass. Now fully immersed in dim white lighting, that filled a long section of corridor. Command staff dressed in picture perfect uniforms, made there way in and our of various rooms. Which lined a long path to the main Command Center. No doubt where Commander Talos would be waiting for us.

It didn’t hit me that something was really off in the area. Until the quiet of the area was disrupted by the sound of a large explosion that shook the corridor. It was so disruptive that, Aurora and I, as well as everyone else in the area lost our footing. Bodies clashed against each other, some more violently than others. Aurora and I collided hard, using of walls to catch ourselves from collapsing completely. The previously dim white lights, where now flashing a hysteric red…. A high pitched alarm, rang through the corridor. Sounding like a banshee’s cry……Right before she took her next victim.

“Alert, Alert, Containment Breach”……… Echoed over the communication System. Just as I thought things couldn’t get worse, a unnatural roar towered over the alarm, and shook the walls of the corridor itself. A chill went down my spine, as I finally was able to get myself back fully on my feet. I reached for Aurora, who was still struggling to recenter herself.

She looked at me confused….. “Zach….. Did you hear that?” She managed to get out. “Yes! I think the whole section heard it!” I shouted over the noise of the alarm.

Aurora, now standing fully erect, grabbed my shoulder…… “Tell me that wasn’t some on ungodly creature! Tell me Orion!” But I couldn’t, I could only stare into her eyes as I recalled the Research Out post on that moon……. Aurora nodded at me, with full understanding. “Let’s move!”

With that Aurora and I took off in a full sprint down the corridor. Desperately trying to reach the main Command center. Our Attempt was short lived though. The effects of a secondary explosion hit the command area… This time it felt a like it came from a little deeper in the station. I didn’t loose my footing this time, and Aurora stopped dead in her tracks.

Before either either of us could fully respond. An auxiliary door opened and a hysterical crewman emerged wielding a plasma rifle…. His uniform was scorched, and a odd gel covered his hands. He moved in a erratic manner, rubbing his face, and screaming…….”Their Eyes, Their Eyes, They Are Coming!!” And then in an instant, he stopped, regained his composure, and looked up at Aurora and I…… His eyes, completely black. A dark nefarious smile on his face.

Aurora, I, and now a half dozen of other near command personnel stood in silence. The crewman turned his attention to a series power conducts running through the corridor. Raised his rifle, and fired a series of short bursts at the them. The rifle let out a high pitched hum, between each blast. Somehow he missed the mark, which resulted in reality setting in.

Aurora and I knew, that any direct blast that managed to penetrate the conduit, would cause a server cascading failure in the area. Aurora jumped into action slamming her body against the crewman, knocking him against the wall with a massive “Thud!”

Aurora knew how to fight, and she was good at it. But the crewman brushed off the altercation, and pushed her down to the ground without much effort. That’s when I charged him, but he caught me by the arm, flinging me into the wall. I hit hard, really hard, the wind escaping my chest. What happened next, caught me completely by surprise.

The crewman stood up, composed himself, raised his plasma rifle, and fired two blasts at me. Impacting me in the mid-chest area. For a moment the hot plasma felt euphoric…. But it must of been the initial shock. Which was followed by me being lifted off my feet, and launched several feet before violently hitting the floor. I felt blood start to pour from my wounds, and was helpless.

Aurora glanced up as she was about to make a second attempt, and saw the whole thing. “Zach!!” She Screamed….. Abandoning her attempt….Instead rushing to my side. Her eyes had tears, it was funny I never felt so much emotion from Aurora. I reached up and grabbed her hand.

It was at that moment, I saw the black eyed crewman, come up behind Aurora. He pointed his rifle at the back of her head. I squeezed her hand, trying to alert her, but all she would do is stare at me. Tears falling from her eyes.

I couldn’t talk, or move otherwise. A dark thought repeating in my head over again… “I’m going to lose her… I’m going to watch her die, and then die knowing we would never get to explore each other fully.

The crewman must of been able to hear my thoughts, because he just smiled. Somehow I managed to pull Aurora’s hard so hard, she feel against me right as he pulled the trigger. The plasma blast missed Aurora, hitting a wall, causing a flash so bright it blinded us all temporarily. My vision returned a moments later, to seeing a series of plasma blasts flying over me and Aurora. The crewman hadn’t been able to re-orientate himself quick enough. The blasts struck him several times. One taking off his arm, the sound of bones being liquefied echoed off the metallic walls. The weapon he had been holding, fell to the ground.

Instead of giving up, he screamed, but what escaped his vocal cords was no longer natural. An animal like growl, and then wale caused me to want to cover me hears. Aurora quickly did, and covered me from the acoustic assault. Several more plasma blasts flew over Aurora and I. This time striking him dead in the chest and head several times. The result was a body that was completely incinerated.

Aurora stat up, realizing that I was still close to death. Only the moderate armor from my uniform, had saved my life by slowing the blood loss. Several security personnel, accompanied by two mach 5 droids ended their charge when they reached us. Ryn was among them, she quickly leaned down and slapped something on my body. “Hold on Lieutenant! Don’t die on us!”

As I lost consciousness, I felt Aurora take my hand, as I was lifted up by the team that arrived. “We need to get him to Medical! Now!” Ryn ordered. “I’m going with you!” I heard Aurora yell. “This way Lieutenant!” Ryn responded.

The last thing I heard, before loosing consciousness was an alert over the comm system. “Alert Alert, Emergency Containment Online, engineering teams report to the research wing….. Commander Talos report to medical…”