Series 1.12 - A Blinding Bind
Light danced around the edges of her vision; blinding and brilliant. An unnatural choreographed motion that was both haunting as it was radiant. It called out to her in an alluring way like nothing ever had before. She knew that it was a wicked feeling to have; an intense yet sickening desire to experience more of it. But the luminous flame burned as much in a physical sense as it did in a visual. She could feel the immense fire burning around the outside of her entire body; her Resonator Harness straining to dampen the abnormal level of heat in the air. The sudden realization of the true danger it brought forth was enough to pull her mind back from the place the enchanting light had carried it. The pure UDE-1 energy was overflowing her harness and had begun to slowly encapsulate her chest. It did so as if it was trying to remind her of the power it too held. An abrupt feeling of vast coldness overcame her body and helped to focus her senses one by one; she could feel, she could hear the cackling of the enemy lightening around her. And she could see again in time to witness Kel being torn to pieces in a battle between the light and the dark energies before her. His Resonator Harness was unable to curb the enemy weapon and erupted inwards to itself. In just a matter of a moment, his entire body was no more in the turmoil of light and dark.
No!
She wasn’t sure if she had said the word or thought it, but it felt as panicked in tone as she had felt in spirit. She had lost members of the Order while under her command before, but never a Strike Team member and never in front her eyes like what had just happened. She had gotten used to issuing orders to faceless names on the other side of the galaxy that had sometimes been killed in various conflicts. She, herself, had been involved in dozens of skirmishes and intense battles but had always come out victorious with minimal loss. Those past conflicts always saw the Order of Ascendancy or the Assemblage as the odds-on favorite and the outcomes almost always came out in their favor. That was even truer in the time since she had been named Commandant. She had the privilege of choosing the absolute best Controllers that the Order had, which meant that she would be going into every battle or conflict with a very clear advantage. The ability of them to use UDE-1 was more powerful than anything she had ever come across and her record of service showed it. Until now, that is.
Aida! Where is Aida?!
Her mind shifted in an instant from the shock of loss and second guessing of her past to that of her modest and meek personal Shield/Protector. She had to know that the girl was okay before she retaliated against the monster of a being standing on the platform behind the wall of lightening it had created. Her brother would never be able to forgive her if she let anything happen to the girl. Part of her wondered if he felt that way already anyway; but now was not the time for such thoughts. She had to know if the girl was okay; but perhaps she had thought too little of Aida Warda? After narrowing her eyes through the blinding light that had engulfed the hall, she soon realized why her own Harness hadn’t completely failed like Kel’s had: Aida had done what she could to bind pure UDE-1 around herself and Melora. She had proven time and again that the one thing she did best was use her abilities to control certain aspects of UDE-1 to protect the Strike Team at the most dire of moments; and there was none as dire as this.
“We have to go now; I’m not going to be able to keep this up long!” Aida yelled through strained and tightened down teeth. Her arms were extended out in front of her body and dark energy flowed from her hands like a current, one directed at the center of Melora’s back, feeding into her Harness and boosting her own link.
Melora also noticed something that did not surprise her in the least. Aida’s other arm was pointed towards their unusual former prisoner, Hox, covering his body in a thin layer of the smoke-like energy that was now in a turbulent fight with the light around him that his body seemed to naturally produce. Aida may have been the last member of the Order who still had a heart and who’s first instinct was to protect others.
“We can beat this thing!” said Melora over the sound of the whirlwind in her ears.
“No, Melora, we can’t! Not alone!”
The girl’s dramatic reply grounded Melora’s sense of revenge and anger and turned her focus back onto the tactical aspect of the moment. She knew that the two of them alone wouldn’t be able to fight through the dangerous storm of energy that had surrounded them even if they could beat the enemy force that lay behind it in combat. And that didn’t take in to account the other Sunder warriors who hadn’t been killed in the collapse of the tunnel that Kel had caused who would turn their attention back to them in no time. Nor the fact that the temple was falling apart around them.
“You’re right, Aida. We have to get out of here before this entire temple comes down!” she said, hoping that the girl could hear her over the ever growing buzzing of light and crumbling ceiling that was striking the UDE-1 shield they shared.
Aida started to slowly back up towards the entrance that they had come from in the open hall while still focusing her effort on reinforcing Melora’s Harness and covering the three of them in a shield bubble of sorts. Melora turned her attention from the roaring beast and his vile weapon to that of the man they had broken free from the tank that suspended him in isolation. He looked the same as he had since they had released him: distant and confused by the world around him. She reached out to grasp his wrist and pull him back with her towards Aida as they made their retreat.
“We have to go.” she whispered softly into his ear, not expecting him to hear or react to her.
It was a brief realization, but something in his eyes flickered and he looked towards her. The violent turbulence of light that illuminated them seemed to also emanate from somewhere deep inside of him to the surface of his body. She knew that she should have been concerned by it, but she couldn’t just leave him. He had to trust her and come with them or else he’d die. And though she didn’t know who or what the man was, she wasn’t going to lose someone else on this mission. She pulled his wrist hard once more. The man’s locked-in gaze shifted from her eyes to Aida’s form moving further away. He began to run towards her, in step with Melora, as the three of them escaped back into the darkness.
Darkness. Just what we needed.
Though she was still a mess of mixed emotions about what had just happened, her lifetime of training she had endured had refocused her mind on what the next steps were. They had to find their way back outside of the temple before they became part of it. They had to link back up with her brother and the Yigit, if they had managed to get out too. And then they would have to get back out of the system before the Sunder retaliated. The mission would be considered a success thanks to the destruction that they had caused to whatever was stored in the biological containers they released Hox from and killing hundreds of the enemy along the way. She knew that the enemy they fought weren’t the best the invading force had to offer, outside of perhaps the one that had killed Kel, but it would send a message throughout the Assemblage that the Order was taking the threat serious and striking back instead of sitting idly by until forced to make a move like many assumed they would.
That was the thing about the galaxy she was born and sworn to protect; they were entirely too judgmental and expected too much from the Order. But she was up for the challenge of proving that she was a proactive leader and wouldn’t sit by while lesser Controllers or Assemblage soldiers went to fight and die. While the Prime Committee rested on their laurels of past wars won and bickered with her father over minute details, she would lead the Order to victory and stop the invasion before it ever truly gets started. Kel was not the first to be lost and would not be the last, but she was not going to make this incursion easy for the Sunder. Trading the life of such a promising young Controller for what might just be living trophies and a useless temple on some outback system may not have been worth it but showing the enemy and her detractors that she was going to bring the war to them was. Now that she felt the surge of confidence that had become one of her defining traits once more. She found herself enjoying the slight intoxicating taste of wild pure UDE-1 teasing her mind from somewhere deep in her chest, she knew they were going to make it out before the whole building came down on them. Melora, Aida, and Hox sprinted back through the darkness in search of a way out.
No!
She wasn’t sure if she had said the word or thought it, but it felt as panicked in tone as she had felt in spirit. She had lost members of the Order while under her command before, but never a Strike Team member and never in front her eyes like what had just happened. She had gotten used to issuing orders to faceless names on the other side of the galaxy that had sometimes been killed in various conflicts. She, herself, had been involved in dozens of skirmishes and intense battles but had always come out victorious with minimal loss. Those past conflicts always saw the Order of Ascendancy or the Assemblage as the odds-on favorite and the outcomes almost always came out in their favor. That was even truer in the time since she had been named Commandant. She had the privilege of choosing the absolute best Controllers that the Order had, which meant that she would be going into every battle or conflict with a very clear advantage. The ability of them to use UDE-1 was more powerful than anything she had ever come across and her record of service showed it. Until now, that is.
Aida! Where is Aida?!
Her mind shifted in an instant from the shock of loss and second guessing of her past to that of her modest and meek personal Shield/Protector. She had to know that the girl was okay before she retaliated against the monster of a being standing on the platform behind the wall of lightening it had created. Her brother would never be able to forgive her if she let anything happen to the girl. Part of her wondered if he felt that way already anyway; but now was not the time for such thoughts. She had to know if the girl was okay; but perhaps she had thought too little of Aida Warda? After narrowing her eyes through the blinding light that had engulfed the hall, she soon realized why her own Harness hadn’t completely failed like Kel’s had: Aida had done what she could to bind pure UDE-1 around herself and Melora. She had proven time and again that the one thing she did best was use her abilities to control certain aspects of UDE-1 to protect the Strike Team at the most dire of moments; and there was none as dire as this.
“We have to go now; I’m not going to be able to keep this up long!” Aida yelled through strained and tightened down teeth. Her arms were extended out in front of her body and dark energy flowed from her hands like a current, one directed at the center of Melora’s back, feeding into her Harness and boosting her own link.
Melora also noticed something that did not surprise her in the least. Aida’s other arm was pointed towards their unusual former prisoner, Hox, covering his body in a thin layer of the smoke-like energy that was now in a turbulent fight with the light around him that his body seemed to naturally produce. Aida may have been the last member of the Order who still had a heart and who’s first instinct was to protect others.
“We can beat this thing!” said Melora over the sound of the whirlwind in her ears.
“No, Melora, we can’t! Not alone!”
The girl’s dramatic reply grounded Melora’s sense of revenge and anger and turned her focus back onto the tactical aspect of the moment. She knew that the two of them alone wouldn’t be able to fight through the dangerous storm of energy that had surrounded them even if they could beat the enemy force that lay behind it in combat. And that didn’t take in to account the other Sunder warriors who hadn’t been killed in the collapse of the tunnel that Kel had caused who would turn their attention back to them in no time. Nor the fact that the temple was falling apart around them.
“You’re right, Aida. We have to get out of here before this entire temple comes down!” she said, hoping that the girl could hear her over the ever growing buzzing of light and crumbling ceiling that was striking the UDE-1 shield they shared.
Aida started to slowly back up towards the entrance that they had come from in the open hall while still focusing her effort on reinforcing Melora’s Harness and covering the three of them in a shield bubble of sorts. Melora turned her attention from the roaring beast and his vile weapon to that of the man they had broken free from the tank that suspended him in isolation. He looked the same as he had since they had released him: distant and confused by the world around him. She reached out to grasp his wrist and pull him back with her towards Aida as they made their retreat.
“We have to go.” she whispered softly into his ear, not expecting him to hear or react to her.
It was a brief realization, but something in his eyes flickered and he looked towards her. The violent turbulence of light that illuminated them seemed to also emanate from somewhere deep inside of him to the surface of his body. She knew that she should have been concerned by it, but she couldn’t just leave him. He had to trust her and come with them or else he’d die. And though she didn’t know who or what the man was, she wasn’t going to lose someone else on this mission. She pulled his wrist hard once more. The man’s locked-in gaze shifted from her eyes to Aida’s form moving further away. He began to run towards her, in step with Melora, as the three of them escaped back into the darkness.
Darkness. Just what we needed.
Though she was still a mess of mixed emotions about what had just happened, her lifetime of training she had endured had refocused her mind on what the next steps were. They had to find their way back outside of the temple before they became part of it. They had to link back up with her brother and the Yigit, if they had managed to get out too. And then they would have to get back out of the system before the Sunder retaliated. The mission would be considered a success thanks to the destruction that they had caused to whatever was stored in the biological containers they released Hox from and killing hundreds of the enemy along the way. She knew that the enemy they fought weren’t the best the invading force had to offer, outside of perhaps the one that had killed Kel, but it would send a message throughout the Assemblage that the Order was taking the threat serious and striking back instead of sitting idly by until forced to make a move like many assumed they would.
That was the thing about the galaxy she was born and sworn to protect; they were entirely too judgmental and expected too much from the Order. But she was up for the challenge of proving that she was a proactive leader and wouldn’t sit by while lesser Controllers or Assemblage soldiers went to fight and die. While the Prime Committee rested on their laurels of past wars won and bickered with her father over minute details, she would lead the Order to victory and stop the invasion before it ever truly gets started. Kel was not the first to be lost and would not be the last, but she was not going to make this incursion easy for the Sunder. Trading the life of such a promising young Controller for what might just be living trophies and a useless temple on some outback system may not have been worth it but showing the enemy and her detractors that she was going to bring the war to them was. Now that she felt the surge of confidence that had become one of her defining traits once more. She found herself enjoying the slight intoxicating taste of wild pure UDE-1 teasing her mind from somewhere deep in her chest, she knew they were going to make it out before the whole building came down on them. Melora, Aida, and Hox sprinted back through the darkness in search of a way out.
*****
You see! They ran rather than stand and fight us! Fight me! They’re afraid of the power I possess! They’re afraid of the one true power! Afraid of the Bright and the pain it brings!
Jag-in Derga felt as though his entire body was ready to come apart. But not in the same way as the heretic that lay in ashes before him. He hadn’t felt such a surge of strength and importance in decades, and it excited him beyond belief. The thrill of killing another living thing, a disbeliever of the Bright, was what had shaped the warrior he had become. He felt as fierce and determined as he had been long ago when his name was first gaining ground among his peers and the Domination. They may have all but banished him to this inconsequential rock on the outskirts of anything important, but he knew that with the slaying of the user of the bastardized dark power, he would reclaim some of his lost luster and glory. The temple may soon be fallen and he may have lost most of his ground forces, but none of that would matter once he tracked down the rest of the intruders and killed them too.
Let us follow now, my remaining contingent, and show them the true might of the blessed Bright!
Though he spoke as if he was leading a grand army, in reality he had just three men left alive that would follow him into the darkness after the surviving saboteurs. It did not matter to him, however, as he alone could destroy them. He truly believed that the Bright had reignited the strength he thought was long lost after so many years of being neglected due to his age and the unimportance of his assignments. And if by some chance they were able to defeat him in combat, he would at least go out as a grand warrior like he had once been and not some crippled old forgotten memory of the past.
Both endings have their attractions...
That was a thought he had only to himself before letting out one more battle cry and a charge into the darkness in search of the intruders.
Jag-in Derga felt as though his entire body was ready to come apart. But not in the same way as the heretic that lay in ashes before him. He hadn’t felt such a surge of strength and importance in decades, and it excited him beyond belief. The thrill of killing another living thing, a disbeliever of the Bright, was what had shaped the warrior he had become. He felt as fierce and determined as he had been long ago when his name was first gaining ground among his peers and the Domination. They may have all but banished him to this inconsequential rock on the outskirts of anything important, but he knew that with the slaying of the user of the bastardized dark power, he would reclaim some of his lost luster and glory. The temple may soon be fallen and he may have lost most of his ground forces, but none of that would matter once he tracked down the rest of the intruders and killed them too.
Let us follow now, my remaining contingent, and show them the true might of the blessed Bright!
Though he spoke as if he was leading a grand army, in reality he had just three men left alive that would follow him into the darkness after the surviving saboteurs. It did not matter to him, however, as he alone could destroy them. He truly believed that the Bright had reignited the strength he thought was long lost after so many years of being neglected due to his age and the unimportance of his assignments. And if by some chance they were able to defeat him in combat, he would at least go out as a grand warrior like he had once been and not some crippled old forgotten memory of the past.
Both endings have their attractions...
That was a thought he had only to himself before letting out one more battle cry and a charge into the darkness in search of the intruders.
