It had taken Dorian one week to learn how to control his snow power, but it wasn't until a full month had passed that Hex was able to locate the signal of the next data chip.
In that time, Dorian had visited his harem to impregnate them again after they had given birth. Eight more babies were born, bringing the total to thirty out of one hundred.
"Master, can I ask you something?" Hex said, her artificial voice coming through The Chimera's control panel. They were undocking from The Collector's Tower, preparing for the journey to the datachip's location.
"Of course Hex." He replied, locking in the coordinates of the Planet Bagua. The previous data chip had given Hex the frequency that the next data chip would be transmitting, allowing her to use the ship's radar to search for it. When she found the signal, it pointed directly at Bagua.
"Are you sure that what you're doing is a good idea? Sireing the children to open the portal, I mean." She asked.
"Well I did agree to the deal," he replied, gesturing to the small tracking device locked around his ankle, "I have to follow through now."
"I know, but you don't even have the slightest clue about what's on the other side. The Collector believes that it was created by the first empire, and from what I learned from your father about them I don't think that is something you want to explore." She said, her usual sarcastic voice replaced by a serious tone.
"I haven't even decided if I'm going to join him when he enters the portal. I'm only creating the children so that it can be activated. That was the deal."
"Whether you decide to enter or not is irrelevant. You might be unleashing something simply by opening it."
Dorian took a second to consider her words. "Hex, is there something you're not telling me?"
"I'm simply stating the possibility that you're making a mistake, nothing more. I've already told you what your father told me. The first empire was comprised of a bloodthirsty species with a superiority complex, conquering everything they laid their eyes on. Even worse, they were ruled over by a dynasty of tentacle wielding monsters after they overthrew your father. It's only logical to be concerned over unlocking one of their ancient portals."
"You have a point, but I've already agreed to the deal." Dorian said. "Just...I'll think about it."
***
The Chimera touched down onto Bagua's lush surface. Most of the planet was covered in a thick jungle, dotted with large swamps.
Dorian walked down the landing ramp, already holding his energy sword in his hand. There were all kinds of strange creatures on the planet, and he didn't want to be caught off guard.
"The signal is close, head north. And try not to get eaten." Hex said, speaking through the communicator built into the wrist of Dorian's jumpsuit.
"Don't get eaten? Couldn't have figured that one out on my own." He replied sarcastically. He walked forward, heading in the direction that the signal was coming from.
Swinging his sword as he walked, he slashed through the vegetation, clearing a path. After several minutes he reached a clearing, and was stunned by the sight of a massive rectangular space ship, ploughed into the center of a shallow swamp. A long ditch followed behind the vessel, created when the ship skidded along the jungle floor and into the watery mud. Plants and vines had begun to spread over the ship's metal surface, and Dorian guessed that the crash must have happened a long time ago.
"So...the chip is definitely inside that ship, isn't it?" Dorian asked, looking up at the massive metal remains.
Before Hex could answer, a voice came from Dorian's left side. "Oh my god...another human!"
He turned, readying his sword. From the vegetation emerged a girl, seemingly eighteen or nineteen years old. A brunette, she had long hair that reached her B cup breasts. Her fair skin was mildly tanned from the jungle planet's sun, her breasts covered by the remains of a shredded bodysuit. Everything below the midriff was exposed, except for her crotch, which was concealed by a chastity belt.
"I can't believe it, it's been so long since I've seen another person!" She said, running to him. She was about to wrap him up in an embrace, but decided against it at the last moment. She blushed, and stepped back. "Sorry...I've just been here alone for so long..."
"Are you...stranded here?" Dorian asked, surprised by the sudden appearance of a scantily clad girl.
"Yeah...I'm the only survivor of that huge ship over there..." she said, looking down. Something seemed to occur to her, as she began looking around for possible signs of danger. "Look, I know we just met but this place is too dangerous for us to stay out in the open. If you follow me to my hut we'll be safe to talk."
Dorian didn't exactly trust her, but he decided that whatever information she might have about the ship outweighed the possibility of her offer being a trap. Besides, he was pretty sure that his energy sword and blaster would be more than enough to deal with her if she turned on him. "Lead the way then."
She took off through the trees, keeping a quick pace. Dorian did his best not to trip on the roots but the girl was far more experienced transversing through the dense vegetation. They reach their destination after only a few minutes, and Dorian realized that her 'hut' was actually a large escape pod, resting on top of a smashed tree trunk.
"Here we are, it's not much but it's all I've got." The girl said as the pod door slid open with a screech. The inside had two padded benches with seat belts hanging off of the wall. One bench had been turned into a makeshift bed, while the other acted as a shelf for the girl's supplies. She quickly cleared a spot for him to sit.
"How long have you been stranded here? This place looks like it's been here for a while." Dorian asked.
"Five years...or at least I think. It's hard to keep track of time. My name's Delia by the way."
"Dorian." He replied.
"Dorian...what brings you to this hellhole? I'm assuming you're not here to rescue stranded girls, are you?" Delia asked.
"I'm looking for something very important to me, and I think it might be on that crashed ship."
She was silent for a moment before responding. "A data chip?"
"How did you..."
"I didn't think that you'd actually come for it. I honestly thought that your father was lying about being from another dimension."
He was surprised at the fact that Delia knew the reason he had arrived on Bagua. "You're too young to be a keeper. What're you, eighteen?"
"Nineteen actually. I haven't heard the word 'keeper' in so long...but no, I'm not. My father was the keeper of the data chip. He told me everything, including the part where you'd one day search for the chip. I guess it's true."
"He 'was' the keeper? Was he on that crashed ship?" Dorian asked, remembering her explanation of being the sole survivor.