Series 1.10 - Reemergence
They crashed through the darkness like long tortured animals set loose to finally find freedom; in this case, freedom was the light of the world outside the doomed structure they had delved deep inside. Before they could reach that moment, they’d have to escape the maze of ancient tunnels. Whatever long dead species had built this place did so without any logical sense of purpose or coordination, or rather, that is how it felt to Tae Rowe as he sprinted along the meandering pathway. His body was kept in motion by a lifetime of physical training and the assistance of the UDE-1 radiating from his Resonator. His partner, the reptilian-like Yigit, followed closely behind him. Tae couldn’t see, but he knew the slender being was not at all bothered by the speed of the run. The Yigit are much stronger and in better shape than the majority of Basic and Yigit was near the top of all Controllers in physical strength and agility.
I really need to run more. Unassisted running. Or just retire and escape into a life of hidden peace among the stars.
There were a lot of reasons, beyond just having to run through dangerous moments like this, which made Tae consider just hiding from the galaxy. He was tired of being constantly at odds with the OoA, with the Prime Committee, with the Assemblage, and most of all with his family. But family was all he had and all he has ever known. He was the son of the most famous Order Controller in the history of the known universe. It was foolish of him to think he could even function as something other than what his legacy had scripted him out to be. He tried his hardest to become his own man, his own person, but that was a battle he would never truly win. The Order would never let that happen; his father would never let that happen. The position of Vice Commandant wasn’t the one that many envisioned him being in, but who knew his sister would end up being the perfect child and not him?
I knew. She knew early on, too.
He was trying to force any other thought into the place in his mind where exhaustion existed. The thought of being a lesser to his sister was a common one; so, it was no surprise that it was the one that forced its way in at this time. Something didn’t add up, however, as they ran.
“Hey Yigit…doesn’t it seem…weird…that…nobody is chasing us…?” he said through the strain of deep breathes needed to keep him moving.
Yigit came to a dead stop behind him, sliding a bit along the stone floor. Tae followed suit.
“It seems like we either outran them or they gave up? And knowing how slow you are, they gave up.” said Yigit, without any hint of fatigue.
Tae bent over, resting one hand on his knee, while pointing the other back towards the direction they had been running from.
“There was like…a hundred of them…right? I didn’t just imagine seeing them?”
“No, you’re right, there were a lot of them and they for sure wanted a piece of us.”
“I guess it doesn’t really matter, since it sounds like we are going to need to hurry up and get out of this place before much longer.” Tae said, moving the light from his Resonator around the crumbling walls of the hall they stood in.
“If we can get back to the courtyard, have Alere swoop down and grab us, and get the others out of here before we all get buried, that would probably be ideal.”
“Swoop down? She’s going to kill you if she finds out you said that, pal.” Tae said through a faint smile.
“That’s if you do the dumb thing of telling her, obviously. Which you won’t, since you still owe me one.”
Tae didn’t respond, as a large section of the wall near them fractured, which was the sign that the time to stand and talk had passed. They were no longer being chased by a horde of enemy soldiers, but that did not mean they were out of danger. He had to hope that his sister and the others were also on their way to a safer place.
“Alere, if you can hear me, get ready to make a return run to get me and the Yigit. We’ll work on getting the others after.” he yelled into the comm-set, in the hope that the pilot would hear him through the sound of the temple collapsing.
“…zzzttt…”
“Of course.” he said through a sigh as the mad dash continued.
The two ran through what felt like miles of tunnel before finally breaking through into the blinding light of the outdoors. They had escaped through an opening that had been made by one of Alere’s many distraction barrages as the Strike Team worked further into the temple complex. The bodies of the slain Sunder forces filled the courtyard before them. It took a moment for Tae’s eyes to adjust to the light, but he knew Alere was close. The sound of the Strike Team’s ship boomed through the sky as she pushed the craft hard while attempting to fight off a band of small enemy ships harassing her. Tae assumed they were the only aerial defenses the small outpost had, as the recon failed to show any major vessels beyond what looked like cargo haulers visiting the planet.
“Oh. There she is.” said Yigit, barely lifting an arm to point over the treetops with a lack of enthusiasm that only he could operate with.
“Controller Alere, if you can read me, Yigit and I are ready for you to exfil us. The others are still working their way back out. This place is about to come down, and there are still lots of Sunder in there. We might be better served up in the sky with you as soon as possible!” Tae chimed into the now working comm-set.
“You got it, Tae. I’ve got a lock on your position and am going to set down right after we kill these annoying little critters on our tail.” Alere said in her honey-smooth voice. Her voice always managed to sooth away any worries Tae had upon hearing it. He hadn’t realized it had made him break into a smile at just the sound of it.
“That was cute.”
“Shut up, Yigit.”
I really need to run more. Unassisted running. Or just retire and escape into a life of hidden peace among the stars.
There were a lot of reasons, beyond just having to run through dangerous moments like this, which made Tae consider just hiding from the galaxy. He was tired of being constantly at odds with the OoA, with the Prime Committee, with the Assemblage, and most of all with his family. But family was all he had and all he has ever known. He was the son of the most famous Order Controller in the history of the known universe. It was foolish of him to think he could even function as something other than what his legacy had scripted him out to be. He tried his hardest to become his own man, his own person, but that was a battle he would never truly win. The Order would never let that happen; his father would never let that happen. The position of Vice Commandant wasn’t the one that many envisioned him being in, but who knew his sister would end up being the perfect child and not him?
I knew. She knew early on, too.
He was trying to force any other thought into the place in his mind where exhaustion existed. The thought of being a lesser to his sister was a common one; so, it was no surprise that it was the one that forced its way in at this time. Something didn’t add up, however, as they ran.
“Hey Yigit…doesn’t it seem…weird…that…nobody is chasing us…?” he said through the strain of deep breathes needed to keep him moving.
Yigit came to a dead stop behind him, sliding a bit along the stone floor. Tae followed suit.
“It seems like we either outran them or they gave up? And knowing how slow you are, they gave up.” said Yigit, without any hint of fatigue.
Tae bent over, resting one hand on his knee, while pointing the other back towards the direction they had been running from.
“There was like…a hundred of them…right? I didn’t just imagine seeing them?”
“No, you’re right, there were a lot of them and they for sure wanted a piece of us.”
“I guess it doesn’t really matter, since it sounds like we are going to need to hurry up and get out of this place before much longer.” Tae said, moving the light from his Resonator around the crumbling walls of the hall they stood in.
“If we can get back to the courtyard, have Alere swoop down and grab us, and get the others out of here before we all get buried, that would probably be ideal.”
“Swoop down? She’s going to kill you if she finds out you said that, pal.” Tae said through a faint smile.
“That’s if you do the dumb thing of telling her, obviously. Which you won’t, since you still owe me one.”
Tae didn’t respond, as a large section of the wall near them fractured, which was the sign that the time to stand and talk had passed. They were no longer being chased by a horde of enemy soldiers, but that did not mean they were out of danger. He had to hope that his sister and the others were also on their way to a safer place.
“Alere, if you can hear me, get ready to make a return run to get me and the Yigit. We’ll work on getting the others after.” he yelled into the comm-set, in the hope that the pilot would hear him through the sound of the temple collapsing.
“…zzzttt…”
“Of course.” he said through a sigh as the mad dash continued.
The two ran through what felt like miles of tunnel before finally breaking through into the blinding light of the outdoors. They had escaped through an opening that had been made by one of Alere’s many distraction barrages as the Strike Team worked further into the temple complex. The bodies of the slain Sunder forces filled the courtyard before them. It took a moment for Tae’s eyes to adjust to the light, but he knew Alere was close. The sound of the Strike Team’s ship boomed through the sky as she pushed the craft hard while attempting to fight off a band of small enemy ships harassing her. Tae assumed they were the only aerial defenses the small outpost had, as the recon failed to show any major vessels beyond what looked like cargo haulers visiting the planet.
“Oh. There she is.” said Yigit, barely lifting an arm to point over the treetops with a lack of enthusiasm that only he could operate with.
“Controller Alere, if you can read me, Yigit and I are ready for you to exfil us. The others are still working their way back out. This place is about to come down, and there are still lots of Sunder in there. We might be better served up in the sky with you as soon as possible!” Tae chimed into the now working comm-set.
“You got it, Tae. I’ve got a lock on your position and am going to set down right after we kill these annoying little critters on our tail.” Alere said in her honey-smooth voice. Her voice always managed to sooth away any worries Tae had upon hearing it. He hadn’t realized it had made him break into a smile at just the sound of it.
“That was cute.”
“Shut up, Yigit.”
*****
I tried to tell you this is what would happen. I tried to get you to leave me behind. All shadows are created because of the light. They know this. I was forced to know it. And now you know it too. The pain of a billion burning stars will be the price in the end.
Or is this the end here and now?
It was for him.
What about for us?
Not if I have anything to say about it.
Or is this the end here and now?
It was for him.
What about for us?
Not if I have anything to say about it.
