:: Unknown ::
A lull in the roar, finally. Yet, just as I
wished for silence, I now wish again for the roar. The sound of
the engines, the cannons firing just outside my canopy. As I look
through the cracks and streaks of my cockpit, I see nothing save
for the floating debris of the lost. And silence, the piercing,
howling silence. Moments ago the mighty Baltazar, an Avenger
class cruiser blazed majestically across the stars. Its massive
structure blotted out the sun, dampened the fear in my heart. I
can still see the Baltazar now, but it does nothing to calm my
racing heart, to dry my sweat soaked palms. An enormous sheet of
armor floats to my far left, the name Baltazar emblazoned on the
side. The Taiidan are at fault for this. My friends, no, my
family has joined the wreckage with our fleet. The streaks on my
cockpit are a testament to their presence in this vacuum with me.
I am aware by radio silence, that I am the sole remainder of our
squadron. Shielded by the lazily spinning wreckage of the
Baltazar, I remained hidden long after my fuel reserves were dry.
I continued to remain hidden long after the final screams died
over transmissions.
The sun is piercing from this angle, entering
the canopy and causing it to darken in response. Strange that
now, at the end of our voyage I begin to notice the beauty of the
darkness around me. The delicate and ever-present light points of
distant systems, perhaps unspoiled by the presence of any
sentient race. Another glance reveals the Taiidan have departed,
leaving nothing safe for a rapidly dissipating plasma trail. I
trace another cursory glance along my instruments, noting the
gauges that have been screaming at me all along. I turn them all
out, noting each disabled system, each damaged component. My hand
shakes as I pass over the life support readout. Twenty minutes.
Twenty minutes and my scrubbers will fail, along with myself. A
light thump draws my attention away from myself yet again, to the
outside of my crippled Blade. More armor shards, this time from a
Kaark. The Taiidan markings adorn the hull, sending shivers up my
spine. Strange, I find myself wondering if another person,
perhaps even a Taiidan is here as well, awating death. My hands
have stopped shaking, my breathing has calmed. I know what waits,
and I know that my fate is unavoidable. The Taiidan have faded as
quickly as they arrived, yet not fast enough to avoid my sensors.
Their position now is known to me, as well as their destination.
My burst transmitter is intact, awaiting permission to send a
distress signal tearing through the emptiness. I program the
transmitter not to send out for my salvation, but to make a
clarion call for the Taiidan\rquote s own damnation. The
coordinates are set, the destination of the transmission locked.
And yet something stays my hand. My ship has rotated slowly,
drifting from the gargantuan bulk of the Baltazar and out into
open space. The nebula, our nebula now fills my eyes with its
ethereal grace. The colors mixing within my soul, contrasting the
darkness and frozen oxygen behind me.
With wide-eyed amazement I stare into its
magnificence, pressing back into my seat. Unavoidable tears fill
my eyes, and I see the truth behind the events that have taken
place since the inception of our journey. Why now, when the
thinning thread of my life is visible, do I come to such a
revelation? Why have I been made to see this? Under the hazy pink
light of the nebula my eyes begin to grow heavy, the weight of my
flight suit unbearable. I sigh, and lay back in my seat. Staring
into the cloud with my eyes half open, I neglect the waiting
transmitter. Sleep... All I need is sleep...
