Recovering from surgery still, but i found the energy to get this up. Thanks for reading!
The Naginata was nearly silent except for the power generator and the machine "aiding" in keeping Cali alive. Il'taira sat quietly next to her, holding her hand and gently probing the engineer's mind with hers. Finding nearly nothing, she was filled with sorrow and regret. Cali's mind has lost its color and now nothing but shadow and cold. Il'taira wanted to "reignite" Cali's light, but she knew her power was rooted in darkness and shadow. Feeling helpless, she bowed her head low.
Oh my dear Cali... I'm so sorry. I shouldn't have pushed you, I should have let you explore and not tell you to push on.
She sighed.
I should have never told you of your gifts... had I not, you would be with me and not in this situation.
She stroked Cali's hand and began to cry... again.
"Down!" Kat yelled as she fired at the insurgents. Lexi moved off to her right to find an advantageous positron. She laid down some fire while Kat repositioned closer. Lexi and Kat opened fire and progressively picked off the aggressors. As the final insurgent hit the ground, Kat stood and scanned the area cautiously. She nodded to left and turned to the crew.
"Come on!" She waved them forward.
The crew and doctor approached cautiously. But paused as a group of soldiers approached. Kat held up a hand as she mag-locked her pistol to her hip.
"Hail!" She called to them.
"What are you doing her Kurn?!" One man shouted from a "safe" distance. Serra stepped next to her.
"Saving your asses! And delivering medical supplies."
"You're welcome!" Lexi added. The lead man stepped forward and noticed the doctor with the mule in tow.
"Doctor! You're early!" He smiled.
"Thanks to these fine folks." He replied.
"Then I guess I owe you a thanks." He reached out a hand to Kat. "And an apology." Serra took it, then Kat did as well.
"We are grateful." A woman joined them and smiled warmly.
"We just wanted to help." Kat returned her smile.
"And get paid." Lexi added. Serra rolled her eyes at her Ops officer.
"Doctor," the man said gesturing him on. "We must hurry incase more pirates arrive." He turned to Kat and Serra. "You and your crew are welcome to rest awhile."
"Thank you." Serra replied. "Let's get the lay of the land, then go back for the shuttle."
"Right." Kat nodded in agreement. After the group passed by, Kat grabbed Serra's arm and held back a moment.
"Something doesn't feel right." She said quietly.
"What do you mean?" Serra asked. She had learned to trust Kat's instincts.
"This little... fire fight felt a little too... easy." She said. "And something about this doctor rubs me the wrong way."
"We'll stay on our toes then." Serra said.
A huge black star ship hung silently above the world of Dir'tril 3 and several smaller ships patrolled around it. Deep in the bowels of the ship a small dark room was filled with several people in white surgical garb swarming around a body on the table. Two people stood on the other side of an observation window looking on.
"Do you really think this will work?" The man asked.
"Do you question our great work?" She asked.
"Of course not Ms. Kavanagh, I just wonder if the expense will be worth it." He stated.
"I appreciate you being concerned about the financial issues with this endeavor G, but the Organization can't afford not to pursue this." She replied.
"We'll get our asset back and gain a new weapon." She nodded towards the body on the table. After several hours the activity died down and the medical personnel exited the room. One of them approached Miss Kavanagh and G. Taking a deep breath, he nodded.
"Well?" Miss Kavanagh urged him.
"He's... alive."
"Alive?! How?" G asked. "He's been dead for weeks!"
"Now, now..." Miss Kavanagh waved the doctor away. "The technology the Organization commands is beyond the boundaries of life and death. The advancement we've made in cybernetics are... truly miraculous."
"But-"
"He'll be awake in a little while." The doctor said as he exited the room.
"Come." Miss Kavanagh said and entered the operating theater. She looked over the doctors work, cybernetic implants and augmentation. Her long slender fingers ran down the metal ridges of his cybernetic arm.
"Very well done!" She declared. Suddenly, the body on the table awoke, his eyes opened and looked directly at Miss Kavanagh.
"Where?" His voice was rough, raspy and low. She looked down and smirked.
"Welcome to the Obelisk, Mr Hawk."
The crew rested and ate while the doctor and the staff of the outpost unloaded the supplies and cared for the injured civilians from the recent attacks. Kat, ever alert, watched all the activity while Serra leaned against her large shoulder and picked at her plate of surprisingly tasty food.
"I'm worried about Cali, is there anything else that can be done?" Saphina asked.
"We're all worried, but I don't-"
"No." Doctor Tiisi'min interjected. "There's nothing more medically that can be done... unless you bring her to the surface. You just don't have the facilities in your ship that are needed. You should just stay awhile and we'll do what we can to help her."
The crew was taken aback by the formerly quiet, unassuming doctor suddenly being so assertive.
"That's not a bad idea." Serra said.
"Of course it is." He snapped. Kat narrowed her eyes at the doctor and leaned down to Serra.
"Something doesn't...smell right."
Elsewhere, in another part of the galaxy, a group of three men sat in a small, black stone chamber talking in hushed tones. A single light shined above the table, casting the rest of the room in deep shadows. Until the door swung open and another man entered, his face was shrouded deep in a hood.
"Good, good... so you have the information we've been looking for?" One of the men at the table asked the newcomer. He silently nodded in reply.
"Excellent." Another replied. One of the men looked over his shoulder and nodded. An unseen figure who has been obscured by the gloom stepped forward. The hooded figure stumbled back a couple steps. A giant of a man emerged from the darkness and approached them. He wore burnished dark copper and black iron armor, a long red cloak, a heavy pistol on one hip, a large iron bound tome hung on the opposite hip and he carried a massive two handed warhammer that seemed to seethe with an unnerving energy.
"Give our associate the information." One of them said. The smaller hooded figure handed him an information spike and took two more steps back. The giant looked to the men seated around the table. They nodded to him and he grinned evilly and hefted his hammer high in the air.
"But... why?! No!" He pleaded, as his life was coming to an end. The large head of the hammer fell heavily onto him, exploding his head, viscera sprayed around the room and in all the inhabitants of said room.
"Now, be on your way and get this thing done!"
The giant nodded and exited the room, leaving the destroyed man bleeding out on the floor.
"Who's going to clean up this mess?!" One man remarked.
On the Naginata, Il'taira was deep in a trance. Her spirit had left her body and was inside Cali's mind, trying to find her spark. Her shadowy spirit flew through the darkness of Cali's mind aimlessly. She was disheartened at how dark and... lifeless it was. Especially after seeing how bright and warm it had been. She had been at it for hours, but she had not even caught a glimpse of any sign of Cali. Expending her power in this way was exhausting, but she was determined to push herself as far as she could.
Was she truly gone? Il'taira just couldn't believe it, she wouldn't believe or accept it! She dove deeper into Cali's psyche... until she saw a tiny blue-green light off in the distance! Barely a flicker, but she was still there! Il'taira pushed herself deeper into Cali's mind in order to try and find a way to bring her back. Her mind was beginning to fray at the expenditure of power, but she refused to give up.
"Cali!" She screamed with her mind. She pushed her spirit toward the faint light. Her frustration grew as the harder she pushed the further away the light seemed to be. She tried to call out again, but no sound came out. Her frustration continued to fuel her desire to save her lover, but hope was fleeting as exhaustion began to take her. Her mind began to fade as she felt like she might pass out from over exertion. Black tears fell from her eyes as she fainted.
Later, Serra and Kat prepared to head back to retrieve the shuttle when a dark haired woman in a long white coat, white shirt, brown breeches and glasses approached them. They looked up at her questioningly and cautiously.
"I... I'm sorry to bother you, but I have to warn you about something."
Kat stood up to her full six and a half feet and took up a defensive posture. "Speak." She said bluntly. The woman took a step back nervously. Serra stood and put a gentle hand on the warrior's arm.
"What's your name?" Serra asked.
"Amara, I'm a medic here." She replied.
"Nice to meet you Amara, now, what did you need to warn us about?"
She looked over her shoulder then leaned close to them. "It's doctor Tiisi'min, I read some of his reports from his time on your ship." She began nervously.
"And?" Kat replied impatiently.
"Kat, please." Serra tried to put Amara at ease.
"His notes mentioned... some new subject he was excited to experiment on... something named Il... Il'taira." She said,
"What?!" Kat growled.
