Daemones
Darkness embraces’ all, the dead, living, unborn. Combined with the cold and human ingenuity it can become the very thing that allows us to spread life and travel through the stars faster than anything before us, cryostasis.
“Captain Coulter reporting into the audio logs required by Fleet Admiral Eshum. The search still remains a lost cause for Earth, the Exodus destroyed all records and maps of the known universe. The Daemones are still out there, searching for every last colony we have. Before cryo we had forty eight known colonies, now only twenty six. N98 is the only galaxy left that we have, the existence of it is unknown. We’ve been in warp for eight months, we had an emergency, a disk gained entry aboard and soon a fleet was upon us. We made a random jump, within the hour we will be landing in a solar system with a single star and eight planets, three of which are in the golden-zone.”
My hair is cold as the crystals melt from my body; no one is awake yet, a silent ship. I stand up, closing the audio logs, the rooms edges are lit, giving direction to the cockpit. My legs regain strength as every step I take throughout this white hallway. I look down and notice small wet puddles on the ground leading towards the cockpit.
“I’m the only one that should be awake” I whisper to myself. I begin to jog, the muscles in my body begin to awaken, thriving to life, and I begin to become warm. I pass by a window to see the pitch black of warp; the only light is from our ship. I take a right to see the door closed, but a shaded figure behind the clouded glass. I speak with haste but secrecy
“Eve, this is Captain Coulter, freeze all mainframe in the cockpit.” A woman’s voice sounds “Yes sir”
The shadowed figure freezes still and turns around. I reach down towards my side, the handle of a knife grips my hand, I proceed to walk into the room. The doors slide open to reveal a bombs technician staring at me. His pale skin, grey eyes and black hair don’t move a beat, as he blindly stares through me. I know he can’t see me; I slowly edge towards his side as my fears grip my heart. On the base of his head is a small black disk protruding from his skin. My mind starts to race as I try to pace myself, I slowly walk back towards the door as I see an airlock above were he’s standing. When it opens he will be disintegrated from the dark matter surrounding us. I reach the door, his head turns towards me, and it isn’t him anymore.
“Eve, open the airlock in the cockpit till all foreign agents are eradicated”
“Yes sir” The door slides shut as the airlock opens, his body is flung out into space as the room is cleared of air.
“All clear sir” Eve says. The door slides open, I walk over to the captains’ chair and consol to see we only have forty-two minutes left.
“Eve wake the crew, I want battle stations in thirty minutes” I say. I walk out the room and back towards my cryo chamber. Eve’s voice starts to broadcast throughout the ship, giving orders to the crew as they awake from their slumber. I reach my room and see my captain’s uniform and a data pad next to my chamber. I begin to change when I hear the running of men near my room. I glance to my right to see a pistol under the table; I pick it up and keep it at my side.
“Sir, sir!” a young warp technician named Marcus runs into my room. I hide the gun and respond, wondering to what he may say.
“Yes?” He speaks with fear. “Sir, we’re about to arrive next to earth”
My soul sinks lower than the depths of a sea, fearing the news. He speaks again
“Their main fleet is located at Earth”
“Prepare for the operation” I say. He turns around and runs out. I look down at the data pad and pick it up, the information to the anti matter bomb. I begin to read “When activated matter with collide with antimatter, capable of destroying and entire solar system, including the star(s)” I swallow, knowing what has to be done
“Eve prepare the bomb for launch”
“Sir activation code?” I look back down and at the bottom of the screen are two words.
“Darkness kills” “Activating” A red light starts to glair throughout the ship. I place down the pad and walk out my room, towards the cockpit. Eve’s voice speaks
“T-minus ten minutes till arrival.”
I enter the cockpit to see everyone working except for one chair empty. I take my seat, without a beat someone speaks up.
“Sir, would you like the scans reports?”
“Yes”
“Four Death Stars escorted by one hundred titans, one thousand dreadnaughts, over then thousand heavy cruisers and all hanger spaces full.” I don’t sink into my chair as I know the time counts down to our possible end.
“Sir one minute till arrival” I stand up and begin to give orders. “Eve as soon as we exit warp I want the bomb released, and cloak engaged”
“Yes sir” A woman begins to count down the time as the warp begins to slow. Light slowly begins to appear, then permeates through the ship. A shake erupts through the ship as we exit warp, a siren goes off as our cloak goes up and the bombs released towards the planet. Before us is the entire Daemones fleet, not knowing of what’s to come.
“Engaging warp” A man yells. I look at Earth, the bomb hits, the planet starts to cave in on itself and a flash of light blinds me as the jolt of warp shakes the ship with the explosions of the planet.
The darkness casts out all light from sight, the air turns cold again. My body relaxes as the coldness freezes over, with darkness following behind, as our home is finally gone forever. The darkness claims its last victim, the home, origin and savor of humanity.
Story sent by 2austino45 for the AE Stories event.