The Chimera slowly neared the planet, its massive steel structure drifting through space.
Dorian stared out through the command center's main window, lost in thought. Scenarios of what could have happened to his wife and daughter in his absence ran through his head endlessly.
"Captain, you're kind of...quite." Hex's artificial voice echoed from the ship's intercom. She sounded genuinely worried about him, which was exceptionally rare for her.
He snapped out of his daze, straightening up in his captain's chair. "I'm fine Hex, let's just hurry this up."
Though Hehra and her pirate crew had vastly increased the size of his ship during his two year long hiatus, Hex's control over The Chimera's systems were more than enough to comfortably operate the large vessel without the help of additional crew members. They both worked together to enter orbit above Yarrin, as captain and AI.
As the ship descended through the atmosphere, the communication monitor suddenly lit up with incoming information. Switching his attention to the screen, Dorian feruled his brow in confusion. "Hex? What am I looking at?"
"Interesting...it seems to be a signal originating from deep inside the jungle. It appears to be broadcasting directly to us" She explained.
"And? What does it say?"
"Well...nothing, master. It seems to be intended to direct us to its source, rather than it acting as a message."
Dorian ran his fingers through his black hair, letting out a strained sigh. Mere minutes after they began descending into the atmosphere and someone was already trying to get his attention from a mysterious hidden location. It didn't bode well for his family. "Alright Hex, guide the ship."
***
The Chimera's massive size loomed over the jungle's thick canopy, directly above the source of the transmission.
A small shuttle that had been leftover from the pirate occupants remained in the ship's main hangar, which Dorian boarded. The Chimera was now FAR too large to land on the jungle floor without destroying the dense vegetation, though the shuttle would be the perfect size to transport him to the surface.
He piloted the shuttle through the hanger doors and began to descend. As he passed through the treetops, he was able to get a clearer look at the transmission's source, which appeared to be a long abandoned outpost of The Varian Empire. A large circular building, the outpost had a main communication tower placed directly in its center. The metal structure of the building had begun to collapse to a small extent, overtaken with vegetation as the jungle attempted to reclaim it.
Dorian carefully set the shuttle down near the old building, before lowering the landing ramp and stepping out onto the humid surface of Yarrin.
The main doors of the outpost began to slide open, screeching loudly as it's long unused mechanisms struggled to function once more. Several individuals began to emerge from the doorway, which he immediately recognized as Yarrin citizens. Each of the exotic brown women wielded either a crude sword or a spear, with only the bare minimum amount of armor to conceal their goddess-like bodies.
As soon as he recognized Esi leading the group towards him, Dorian sprinted towards her and swept her off her feet in a powerful embrace. "Esi...I'm so glad that you're safe!"
He placed her back down on her feet, and she immediately punched him in the jaw.
"The fuck was that for?!" Dorian asked, stumbling back as he cupped his mouth.
"You slept with The High Priestess!?!" The former queen screamed in rage. "I allow you to have sex with any girl you want off planet, and you immediately betray me!?!"
Realizing what his wife meant, he let out a sigh as he rubbed his jaw. "Listen, it wasn't like that. I had no choice. I mean, I was bound for God sake!" He said, thinking back to the festival of his daughter's birth.
Esi closed her eyes and shook her head. "No Dorian, you didn't tell me what happened! If you had only come to me and explained that she raped you, I could have brought her to justice! All of this could have been avoided..."
"What are you talking about...?" He asked, realizing that he didn't see Mira among the crowd.
The former queen took a step towards him, before her anger broke down into despair as tears rolled down her gorgeous face. She threw herself into her husband's arms, pressing against his chest. "Dorian...Mira was overthrown..."
"What?! How?!" He asked, comforting Esi.
"We had a stranger arrive in the city about a year ago, a large man with a robotic arm and a burn scar on his face. Of course Queen Mira had him immediately arrested for entering the city, though only two days later The High Priestess gathered the city for an announcement. She revealed that you were the father of her daughter, Yisi, which gave the girl a claim to the throne." She explained, wiping her tears from her eyes.
A chill trickled down Dorian's spine, as his fears were confirmed. "A robotic arm and burn scar? Gursaw?"
Esi looked up at him. "How did you know?"
"He helped enslave me two years ago. If he's here...he's DEAD."
"I want him dead more than anyone, but it isn't that easy." She replied, shaking her head. "After The High Priestess's announcement, she gathered a large group of citizens and forced Mira to free Gursaw. Whether they had planned it together before the announcement or not, we don't know, but Yisi and Gursaw were quickly married. With both a natural father and a male husband, the people of Yarrin put their support behind Yisi."
Dorian held her tightly, until she pulled away, her anger returning.
"Your priestess-born bastard Yisi overthrew our daughter!" She yelled, punching him in the chest. "They've kept her prisoner for a year! A YEAR!"
He grabbed her fist as another punch launched at him, pulling her close to him.
"Why Dorian?! Why didn't you just tell me?!"
"I'm... sorry Esi..." He replied, holding her arms firmly until she calmed herself.