The Players so far..

Zander Kane, once a trusted and highly decorated general for the United Federation, Kane betrayed not only his own race, but his own flesh and blood to join the Dark Collective, so he could be with the woman he loved. Now, he rides stardust and slipstreams, captaining the Betha, fighting for the collective, in hope of one day freeing the worlds from the federations ruling grasp, now chasing ghost, as he tries to stay one step ahead of the Priestess, and find the answers to how to get rid of the spark Gadamrie placed inside of him.

Gadamrie, a Golden Priestess in the Dark Collective, who before the federation came to power boasted over one million hosts as part of her mind hive, as well as existing across multiple realities, the High Priestess Dankika is her daughter, and the President, Balmires, her father, using Zander Kane like a chess piece, to rid the realities of her fledgling daughter, so she and her father can rule once more.

Syin-To-Twenty-Seven (Sin), Betha’s sentient companion, through the link they share Sin can control and communicate between Betha and Zander, as well as accessing and sometimes controlling other forms of technology.

Touvler, Zander’s right hand man and Betha’s co-pilot, Touvler along with two others joined Zander when he defected from the United Federations to the Dark Collective.

General Salidazar, an officer in the Dark Collective, who’s loyalties lie with the federation, undercover within the collective, Salidazar has become a vital piece of Dankika’s arsenal, but, that may all soon be over.

High Priestess Dankika, leader of the Dark Collective, a maker, a being who exists across multiple realities, the daughter of Gadamrie, she wants nothing more than to rule every reality, with her mother at her side, but, Gadamrie want’s no part of her wayward child and has devised a way to rid the realities of her once and for all.

High Lord Quinn, Commander for the United Federation, and a Quadrapled, a slang term for a clone. Quinn’s past is still yet to be revealed, but his past association with Zander Kane makes his story more of a mystery, now, working closely once again, Quinn finally has come full circle.

President Balmires, the current elected president of the united federation, Balmires’ rise to power is one worth of it’s own story, soaked in blood and betrayal, the ancient being known as Danzian, father of Gadamrie, and once lord and master of all realities, something, he wishes to be once again.

Last time on Dark Stars

When Zander Kane found out the truth about what Gadamrie had placed inside him, he abruptly executed what he believed was her final host body, then gave himself up to Quinn and the Federation, hoping to not only switch sides, but to also save Betha, and her crew. After Touvlar interfered and melded Quinn and Zander’s mind togther, so Zander could show him what Gadamrie had told him, Quinn pardoned Zander and his men, allowing them to leave unharmed, with both men agreeing to assist each other in stopping the High Priestess, and to try and find a way to undo what Gadamrie had done to him.

And so we continue…

The explosion rips through the doorway, sending it careering across the room, and into the wall opposite, as the smoke clears he takes a step through the doorway, into the room, beeps and hisses come from his suit, and the sound of air sucking in and out of his breathing apparatus are the only sounds to be heard. He surveys the room, the metal sheets that once lined the wall, now hang, rusted, decaying, the ships power, long gone. The room suddenly moves as the ship itself takes a hit from outside, he casts a fevered glace behind him, and then, back into the room, scanning, searching, until, his eyes come to rest on the remains, of the ships captain, Zander Kane. 

He rushes to the body and starts digging though the dead mans pockets, until finally, he pulls a silver key from within, holding it up high in the air in victory, allowing himself to laugh for a brief moment, before the ship lurches forward again, taking another hit.

He scrambles to his feet and out the door, rushing down the hallway, as two reapers crash through the walls behind him, flipping, twisting, turning, towards him, he dares not look over his shoulder, as he strides powerfully down the corridor, coming out into Betha’s lifeless cockpit, the reapers follow quickly after, filling the space with their gigantic forms, engulfing the room, but, find him nowhere to be found.

He hits the ground with a thud, feeling his right ankle give way, a hiss of aggression passes through his lips as he forces himself to his feet, and runs forward, he hears them scream, the cry, that has become common to him now, like breathing, which, is another problem on its own if he were to be honest with himself. He runs towards another derelict ship, another Betha, and forces his way in through the cargo bay door, scrambling up, through the supplies hold, out into the main corridor, and finally reaching a hatchway in the weapons room, he pulls the key out, it glimmers in the darkness, and he places it quickly into an awaiting lock, he feels the sweat run into his eyes, and tightens them, as he tries unsuccessfully to turn the key, he smacks the lock several times, then tries the key again, it moves a fraction but, once more becomes stuck, he twists and turns it aggressively, feeling the lock slowly begin to give way, then the ship shudders with impact.

He freezes in place, knowing they are on board, he bites his lip, and tightens his shaking hands into fists, looking down at the key, he hears them charging through the cargo bay, he hears metal plates crash, as they make their way into the corridor, he grabs the key once more, closes his eyes tightly, and twists it. His heart skips a beat as the key turns, lights flash before him, sounds of century old hydraulics beings to fill the air, and, slowly a spiral gateway begins to open. He looks over his shoulder, as the reapers burst into the weapons bay, he looks back at the doorway, and dives though in a panic, he feels one of them grab at his leg, he kicks, screams, panics, and somehow manages to free himself, then scrambles to the control deck, slamming down the main hatches override and hitting the ignition switch, as one the reaper tries to fit its gigantic body through the ever narrowing doorway, but, it is too late, as the small escape capsule veers forward, shooting out into the deep, dark, nothingness of nowhere, and Zander Kane, lets out a sigh of relief, falling into the seat, exhausted.

He doesn’t get to relax though, as he hears it, like nails running along a blackboard, but, it wasn’t a blackboard, it was tearing at the pod, he leaps from the seat and presses himself up against the glass dome that covers a quarter of the small pods outer shell, spotting it instantly, as it does him, it’s talons dig deep into the the pods side, then it rushes forwards.

“What the hell do I have to do to get away from you things!” He yells, as it drives itself at the glass, pounding violently against it, screaming it’s horrific cry, as the glass, slowly begins to crack, all the while, the small escape pod continues to climb upwards, into the vast, black, empty space.

 

To Be Continued…

The Players so far..

Zander Kane, once a trusted and highly decorated general for the United Federation, Kane betrayed not only his own race, but his own flesh and blood to join the Dark Collective, so he could be with the woman he loved. Now, he rides stardust and slipstreams, captaining the Betha, fighting for the collective, in hope of one day freeing the worlds from the federations ruling grasp.

Gadamrie, a Golden Priestess in the Dark Collective, who before the federation came to power boasted over one million hosts as part of her mind hive.

Syin-To-Twenty-Seven (Sin), Betha’s sentient companion, through the link they share Sin can control and communicate between Betha and Zander, as well as accessing and sometimes controlling other forms of technology.

Touvler, Zander’s right hand man and Betha’s co-pilot, Touvler along with two others joined Zander when he defected from the United Federations to the Dark Collective.

General Salidazar, an officer in the Dark Collective, who’s loyalties, may lie somewhere else.

High Priestess Dankika, leader of the Dark Collective, a maker, a being who exists across multiple realities.

High Lord Quinn, Commander for the United Federation, and a Quadrapled, a slang term for a clone. Quinn’s past is still yet to be revealed, but his past association with Zander Kane makes his story more of a mystery.

President Balmires, the current elected president of the united federation, Balmires’ rise to power is one worth of it’s own story, soaked in blood and betrayal.

Last time on Dark Stars

Zander and the crew of Betha find themselves requested by the High Priestess, once touching down, he comes face to face with General Salidazar, who has other plans for Zander. Gadamrie intervened spoiling his plans, as the High Priestess arrived and attempted to quell the already explosive situation, to, no positive end, until Sin relayed a message, what appears to be from Zander himself, warning of the Priestess and Salidazar, verifying the information, he acted, somewhat recklessly, and fled towards an unknown destination, with Salidazar following closely behind, Zander backtracked to take care of him once and for all, but, were faced with a greater problem. Unfortunately Zander and Betha’s crew, found themselves prisoners of High Lord Quinn, reveling himself to be a former crew member of the Betha, but, as he prepared to kill Zander, Gadamrie, who was cloaked, came to his aid, taking out Quinn and his men, although, before they could make their escape, another mind took control of one of Gadamrie’s host bodies, apparently killing her, but after a brief battle of minds, Gadamrie regained control of her final host. Making contact with Sin, Zander found out where Touvler was being held, and as they made their plans to rescue him, they came face to face with a resurrected Quinn and a league of Federation soldiers, using a cloaking technology, known as the walk of the damned, Gadamrie tried to guide them to safety, but her strength gave way, so Zander had to improvise, and, as the walls close in, Gadamrie finally agrees to answer Zander’s questions, answers that he has a hard time understanding.

And so we continue…

“… one by one they fell, wounded, broken, and, it was in this state, in their defeat, did they reveal their true form, that of scavengers, worms, beasts who prey on those who fall outside the stars, who, well, who you will soon see for yourself, as I did, for they will call you, as you get closer to the moment of joining, for, Danzian, across all the realities, laid his seed inside me, as I have you, the hive, I control, it is not one just of many, it is one over countless realities, and the mind, the one who took over before, she, she was but one of the versions of myself who vied for control over who I am now, the one who survived, who is the amalgamated version of the shadows I was, like, you will become, you, the man, I love,” she says, as Zander, stands before her, his eyes wide with wonderment, his skin, pale, he can feel his knees getting weak, and his stomach turning.

“B-B-Bullshit!” He mutters.

“I have no reason to lie, not anymore, you, are one of my favourite Zander’s, across all of realities, you, have been the kindest, of all your incarnations, I, know, you possess the ability to become the one, the Alpha, but, you need to survive until the moment, the birthing, otherwise, you will be lost forever, like I said, it is you I protect, not the seed, many others have died, many others have been lost, but you, I, WE, cannot lose you,” she says, gently caressing his face with her hand, he pulls away, releasing his grip on her, allowing her to fall to the ground, she lets out a grimace of pain, as he stands at the edge of the vent, looking down into the darkness.

“Will it hurt?”

“The birthing?”

“No, getting my nails done, of course the birthing, what else is there to talk about?”

“Yes, it will be very painful.”

“And these Orionat, can they be killed?”

“Yes, but only for a short time,” she says, as she pulls herself back to her feet, slowly making her way to his side.

“That’s not a real answer.”

“It is the best I have.”

“What are they like?”

“Who, the Orionat?”

“No, the other Zander’s, are they, like me?” He asks, turning to her.

“Some of them, are almost identical, others, are far different.”

“And this Danzian, is he still out there?”

“No, he, he died long ago,” she says softly, looking down to the ground.

“How is that possible, if he existed in all realities at once, how could he die?”

“If he was to be killed in all realities, at once, then, he would die.”

“You killed him?”

She stands there in silence for a few moments. before looking back up at him, “No, it was not my hands that took his life, but the hands of my child, you see, she grew jealous of him, she wanted only me for herself, so, she killed him, she killed my maker, my father, my lover, and then, expected me to join her, to rule all, together, but I wanted nothing, not from her anymore, so, I left, explored the stars on my own, while she, she…”

“She formed the rebellion, so she could battle the powers that control the galaxies, in hope of what, one day ruling all of it, across all the realities?”

“That is her plan, hiding behind the facade of lies, using the war, to draw her power, not just in this reality, but in so many others as well, some of the world, are damaged beyond repair, she cares not for anything, just, herself, I was, unwise to join with her, but, I chose one, when it should’ve been all, that was my mistake.”

More minutes of silence pass, as they both stand there, staring into the darkness of the shaft.

“So, how do I stop her?”

“You, must, join as one, survive, become the alpha, then, rid her from all, at once, you must survive,” Gadamrie says, as she collapses to her knees, “you mu-mu-must survive,” she mutters, Zander looks down at her, then back into the abyss.

“What you told me before, about being attacked all at once, was that across realities?”

“Yes, I, WE, are the last, and soon, will be no more,” she says softly, looking up at him.

“And the one, from before, who possessed your body, who was she?”

She looks down, “The original host of this body, the Gadamrie, of this reality.”

He looks down at her, and smiles, as a tear runs down his face, “Even staring into the face of death, you still lie.”

“Eventually my love, all lies, become the tru…” she doesn’t get to finish her words, as he pulls his blaster free and plants a blast to the center of her head, her lifeless body topples over the edge, falling into the darkness of the shaft. He lets out a scream of frustration, driving a fist into the wall, then tosses his blaster into the shaft and slowly makes his way back up the ventilation duct, and out into the corridor, seconds later he is surrounded by Federation Soldiers.

“Take me to Quinn, tell him we need to talk,” he says as he holds his hands in the air.

 

To Be Concluded…

The Players so far..

Zander Kane, once a trusted and highly decorated general for the United Federation, Kane betrayed not only his own race, but his own flesh and blood to join the Dark Collective, so he could be with the woman he loved. Now, he rides stardust and slipstreams, captaining the Betha, fighting for the collective, in hope of one day freeing the worlds from the federations ruling grasp.

Gadamrie, a Golden Priestess in the Dark Collective, who before the federation came to power boasted over one million hosts as part of her mind hive.

Syin-To-Twenty-Seven (Sin), Betha’s sentient companion, through the link they share Sin can control and communicate between Betha and Zander, as well as accessing and sometimes controlling other forms of technology.

Touvler, Zander’s right hand man and Betha’s co-pilot, Touvler along with two others joined Zander when he defected from the United Federations to the Dark Collective.

General Salidazar, an officer in the Dark Collective, who’s loyalties, may lie somewhere else.

High Priestess Dankika, leader of the Dark Collective, a maker, a being who exists across multiple realities.

High Lord Quinn, Commander for the United Federation, and a Quadrapled, a slang term for a clone. Quinn’s past is still yet to be revealed, but his past association with Zander Kane makes his story more of a mystery.

President Balmires, the current elected president of the united federation, Balmires’ rise to power is one worth of it’s own story, soaked in blood and betrayal.

Last time on Dark Stars

Zander and the crew of Betha find themselves requested by the High Priestess, once touching down, he comes face to face with General Salidazar, who has other plans for Zander. Gadamrie intervened spoiling his plans, as the High Priestess arrived and attempted to quell the already explosive situation, to, no positive end, until Sin relayed a message, what appears to be from Zander himself, warning of the Priestess and Salidazar, verifying the information, he acted, somewhat recklessly, and fled towards an unknown destination, with Salidazar following closely behind, Zander backtracked to take care of him once and for all, but, were faced with a greater problem. Unfortunately Zander and Betha’s crew, found themselves prisoners of High Lord Quinn, reveling himself to be a former crew member of the Betha, but, as he prepared to kill Zander, Gadamrie, who was cloaked, came to his aid, taking out Quinn and his men, although, before they could make their escape, another mind took control of one of Gadamrie’s host bodies, apparently killing her, but after a brief battle of minds, Gadamrie regained control of her final host. Making contact with Sin, Zander found out where Touvler was being held, and as they made their plans to rescue him, they came face to face with a resurrected Quinn and a league of Federation soldiers, using a cloaking technology, known as the walk of the damned, Gadamrie tried to guide them to safety, but her strength gave way, so Zander had to improvise, and, as the walls close in, Gadamrie finally agrees to answer Zander’s questions.

And so we continue…

“Of course sir, your information should be updated, if you follow the new instructions they should assist yo…”

“NO! I’m going back the way I came, I’ll blast my way through whatever I have to, but I’m not jumping with her, I can’t risk it, I can’t lose her, not while she’s got answer I need.”

“You were always too stubborn for your own good,” Gadamrie says, from the tunnel entrance, winching in pain, as she gets to her feet. “We won’t get out of this together, but, you will on your own, if you try, so, ask your questions, let this be the place where all is reveled, where everything becomes one.”

He stands there, looking down into the abyss, then looks over to her, he feels the sweat run down his face, and hears it hiss, sizzle, as it drips from him, and lands on the metal sheets that are paved beneath his feet. “What’s inside me?”

“Our child,” she replies.

“What does that mean?”

“What do you want it to mean?”

“I want answers Gadamrie not riddles!” Zander yells, clenching his hands into fists. “WHAT THE HELL IS INSIDE ME!”

“As I told you before my love, my seed is inside you, growing, creating, joining, bringing you together, as one, across endless stars.”

“Okay, there you go again, what the hell does that mean, endless stars?”

“You’re still an infant my love, but soon, you will begin to grow, and you will understand, that the world, out there, is endless, not just on one plain of reality, but on countless worlds, on countless stars, in countless Zander Kane’s,” she says, forcing a smile.

“Countless Zander Kane’s? Are you saying I’m a clone?”

She laughs, “As I said, you’re still but an infant, I cannot explain the intr…”

She doesn’t get to finish her sentence, as he is upon her, driving his blaster into her stomach and slamming her against the tunnels wall, “DON’T BE SO SMUG!” He yells, “TELL ME, WHAT HAVE YOU DONE TO ME!”

She swallows, and stares deep into his eyes, “When the universe was born, so was he, Danzian, a being existing across each ever expanding reality, as one mind, moving, shaping, each line, to his own will, but, after centuries of this, he grew tired, lonely, for, even though he was seen as a god in many of the realities, he, was alone, with no one to enjoy the existence with him. So, he sough a way to create a mate, one who was as eternal, and as one across the stars as he. For many years he searched, burning his way through the stars, through lovers, until, he came to the place of his birth, and met with the first beings, the Orionat, those untouched by the ravages of the stars, undiluted by the ever expanding realities that splinter off each other every time something new takes place. Here he found out his true origins, and, how his existence was possible, but, for him, more importantly, how he could create a mate, although, the Orionat disproved of Danzian’s plan, instead offered him a place with them, outside of the stars, in the darkness. When he declined their offer, telling them he needed to be out there in the stars, not locked away, hiding, they took it badly, and attacked him. As the fight waged on, they realised it was lost, Danzian was skilled, having lived outside, experiencing the words, while they, had hidden, watching, wasting their existences,  one by one they fell, wounded, broken, and, it was in this state, in their defeat, did they reveal their true form, that of scavengers, worms, beasts who prey on those who fall outside the stars, who, well, who you will soon see for yourself, as I did, for they will call you, as you get closer to the moment of joining, for, Danzian, across all the realities, laid his seed inside me, as I have you, the hive, I control, it is not one just of many, it is one over countless realities, and the mind, the one who took over before, she, she was but one of the versions of myself who vied for control over who I am now, the one who survived, who is the amalgamated version of the shadows I was, like, you will become, you, the man, I love,” she says, as Zander, stands before her, his eyes wide with wonderment, his skin, pale, he can feel his knees getting weak, and his stomach turning.

“B-B-Bullshit!” He mutters.

 

To Be Continued…

The Players so far..

Zander Kane, once a trusted and highly decorated general for the United Federation, Kane betrayed not only his own race, but his own flesh and blood to join the Dark Collective, so he could be with the woman he loved. Now, he rides stardust and slipstreams, captaining the Betha, fighting for the collective, in hope of one day freeing the worlds from the federations ruling grasp.

Gadamrie, a Golden Priestess in the Dark Collective, who before the federation came to power boasted over one million hosts as part of her mind hive, although, Zander has begun to suspect she is hiding something from him.

Syin-To-Twenty-Seven (Sin), Betha’s sentient companion, through the link they share Sin can control and communicate between Betha and Zander, as well as accessing and sometimes controlling other forms of technology.

Touvler, Zander’s right hand man and Betha’s co-pilot, Touvler along with two others joined Zander when he defected from the United Federations to the Dark Collective.

General Salidazar, an officer in the Dark Collective, who’s loyalties, may lie somewhere else.

High Priestess Dankika, leader of the Dark Collective, a maker, a being who exists across multiple realities.

High Lord Quinn, Commander for the United Federation, and a Quadrapled, a slang term for a clone. Quinn’s past is still yet to be revealed, but his past association with Zander Kane makes his story more of a mystery.

President Balmires, the current elected president of the united federation, Balmires’ rise to power is one worth of it’s own story, soaked in blood and betrayal.

Last time on Dark Stars

Zander and the crew of Betha find themselves requested by the High Priestess, once touching down, he comes face to face with General Salidazar, who has other plans for Zander. Gadamrie intervened spoiling his plans, as the High Priestess arrived and attempted to quell the already explosive situation, to, no positive end, until Sin relayed a message, what appears to be from Zander himself, warning of the Priestess and Salidazar, verifying the information, he acted, somewhat recklessly, and fled towards an unknown destination, with Salidazar following closely behind, Zander backtracked to take care of him once and for all, but, were faced with a greater problem. Unfortunately Zander and Betha’s crew, found themselves prisoners of High Lord Quinn, reveling himself to be a former crew member of the Betha, but, as he prepared to kill Zander, Gadamrie, who was cloaked, came to his aid, taking out Quinn and his men, although, before they could make their escape, another mind took control of one of Gadamrie’s host bodies, apparently killing her, but after a brief battle of minds, Gadamrie regained control of her final host. Making contact with Sin, Zander found out where Touvler was being held, and as they made their plans to rescue him, they came face to face with a resurrected Quinn and a league of Federation soldiers, using a cloaking technology, known as the walk of the damned, Gadamrie tried to guide them to safety, but her strength gave way, so Zander had to improvise.

And so we continue…

“Lady, you’re not going anywhere, except off this pile of junk with me,” he says, as he charges forward, as the world explodes with colour and light. The Federation soldier’s don’t know what hit them as Zander tears his way through the soldiers, blasting a pathway of blood towards Quinn, it only takes a few seconds before he feels blaster fire tear into his side, he crashes to the ground, thew wight of Gadamrie, and her armour pins him to the ground, he clenches his teeth together, as he drives his fists into the metal surface and screams, forcing himself up from the floor, soldiers come from every angle, tackling him to the ground once more, then, everything goes silent, as Quinn strides towards him, while the soldiers pull the struggling Zander to his feet.

“How pathetic, did you really think that would work?” Quinn says.

“Sometimes, improvising everything as you go, has a strange way of falling to pieces, unless, you plan it that way,” he says, looking to the ground with a smile, Quinn’s eyes follows Zander’s, coming to rest at his feet, where a neo-thermal grenade sits, then, everything is engulfed in a white hot light that lasts for a few seconds, and then, is gone. Slowly, he opens his eyes, around him lay the burnt remains of the Federation soldiers, and Quinn, Gadamrie still tightly grips his leg, encompassing him in a bio-kinetic shield, that absorbed the heat wave, protecting them both, he quickly pulls her to her feet once more, and throws her back over his shoudler.

“H-H-How, how did you know I, WE, would save you?” She says softly.

“Because you’ve risked everything, to protect whatever I’m carrying so far, I made a fair bet you’d continue to.”

“We could’ve all died, and, I was protecting you, Zander, my love, ple…”

“Save it for someone who believes you, right now, I need you alive, so, if you don’t have anything constructive to say, keep it shut, understood?”

Silence follows, he can feel her tensing up with anger, and he grips her arm tightly.

“Understood?” He repeats.

“I undertand, bu…”

“ZZZZZEETTT…. Captain Kane, do you copy?” Sin’s voice interrupts.

“I’m here, what the hell happened?” He says as he slowly moves down the hallway.

“A defense mechanism interfered with our communicator, I have convinced Romana to disable the device and also give me the precise location of Mister Touvlar,” Sin replies.

“How did you… No wait, I don’t what to know, I still remember what you did for that battleship in the Nourus quadrant,” he says, as he lets out a shiver, and shakes his head side to side, screwing up his face. “Anyway, lets not think about that, just tell me how I get to Touvlar, and find us a way off this hunk of junk.”

“I have already taken the liberty of mapping out a path to Mister Touvlar, one of course, that will give you the least resistance. Once you have him, getting off the said ‘hunk of junk,’ might be harder, alarms are slowly popping up across the ship, and, Betha is surrounded by a large assortment of troops, Quinn will not let us get off here alive sir.”

“Just find us a way to get back on Betha then, and I’ll handle the getting off, okay,?”

“Of course sir, I will map the quickest, safest route from Mister Touvlar’s location,” Sin replies. “May I ask you to be careful sir, this is not coming just from me, but, Betha wishes your safe return as well, considering, your condition.”

“Tell Betha not to worry about my CONDITION,  I’ll be fine, you two just be ready, okay?”

“Of course sir, I have uploaded the route to Mister Touvlar onto your equipment and will work with Romana in finding a way off.”

A blue light on Zander’s bracelet flashes, signalling the arrival of Sin’s data, “Overlay visor,” he says, as a visor like screen appears before his eyes, acting like a pair of glasses, outlaying the route to Touvlar on it. Quickly he makes his way down a deserted corridor, noticing the ships cameras pointing towards the ground, and allows himself to grin, knowing Sin obviously worked his magic, one, he doesn’t need to know the details of. After several minutes of scurrying through corridors, he finally comes to a stop, tosses Gadamrie’s now unconscious body to the ground, rips a vents covering from the side of the corridor, then quickly stuff’s Gadamrie into the vent, and slides in after her, sealing the vent’s covering back in place after him, just as the sound of a dozen or more Federation soldiers charge down the corridor past them. Zander quickly crawls down the duct for several sweaty minutes, dragging Gadamrie behind him, until he comes to a large opening, his eyes widen as he looks around the large shaft, a small rim running around the sides that the vent connects onto, he tilts his head upwards and then downwards, and swallows,  he focuses on the map in front of his eyes and lets out a nervous laugh.

“Sin, you can’t be serious?”

“I’m sorry sir, is there a situation?” Sin’s voice says.

“Damn straight there’s a situation. Your map’s telling me to jump down into the main air vent,” he says as he settles himself on the ledge, peering over into it again, he tightly squints his eyes, hoping this time to see the bottom, but still, he only sees darkness.

“That is correct sir. If you read my instructions, they tell you, if you use maximum power and leap at an angle of at least one hundred and thirty-six degrees you will come into contact with the air duct for level two hundred and seven at some stage of your decent. My calculations based on your current weight put it at about fifteen seconds from when you jump from the coordinates I have placed into the map. Once you have successfully made the jump, and landed safely, Mister Touvlar is only two corridors away from where the vent comes out.”

“Maximum power? What the hell’s that supposed to mean? And what about Gadamrie? What the hell am I supposed to do with her? I’m not leaving her here, not while she’s got questions to answer, no bloody way am I!”

“Give me a few moments sir, I will readjust the information so it will be more current, as it was tailored specifically to you, and only you, if you jump at full strength, from the location, with Miss Gadamrie over your shoulder, you will, not complete the task successfully.”

“I know, that’s what I just said.”

“Of course sir, your information should be updated, if you follow the new instructions they should assist yo…”

“NO! I’m going back the way I came, I’ll blast my way through whatever I have to, but I’m not jumping with her, I can’t risk it, I can’t lose her, not while she’s got answer I need.”

“You were always too stubborn for your own good,” Gadamrie says, from the tunnel entrance, winching in pain, as she gets to her feet. “We won’t get out of this together, but, you will on your own, if you try, so, ask your questions, let this be the place where all is reveled, where everything becomes one.”

To Be Continued…

The Players so far..

Zander Kane, once a trusted and highly decorated general for the United Federation, Kane betrayed not only his own race, but his own flesh and blood to join the Dark Collective, so he could be with the woman he loved. Now, he rides stardust and slipstreams, captaining the Betha, fighting for the collective, in hope of one day freeing the worlds from the federations ruling grasp.

Gadamrie, a Golden Priestess in the Dark Collective, who before the federation came to power boasted over one million hosts as part of her mind hive, although, Zander has begun to suspect she is hiding something from him.

Syin-To-Twenty-Seven (Sin), Betha’s sentient companion, through the link they share Sin can control and communicate between Betha and Zander, as well as accessing and sometimes controlling other forms of technology.

Touvler, Zander’s right hand man and Betha’s co-pilot, Touvler along with two others joined Zander when he defected from the United Federations to the Dark Collective.

General Salidazar, an officer in the Dark Collective, who’s loyalties, may lie somewhere else.

High Priestess Dankika, leader of the Dark Collective, a maker, a being who exists across multiple realities.

High Lord Quinn, Commander for the United Federation, and a Quadrapled, a slang term for a clone. Quinn’s past is still yet to be revealed, but his past association with Zander Kane makes his story more of a mystery.

President Balmires, the current elected president of the united federation, Balmires’ rise to power is one worth of it’s own story, soaked in blood and betrayal.

Last time on Dark Stars

Zander and the crew of Betha find themselves requested by the High Priestess, once touching down, he comes face to face with General Salidazar, who has other plans for Zander. Gadamrie intervened spoiling his plans, as the High Priestess arrived and attempted to quell the already explosive situation, to, no positive end, until Sin relayed a message, what appears to be from Zander himself, warning of the Priestess and Salidazar, verifying the information, he acted, somewhat recklessly, and fled towards an unknown destination, with Salidazar following closely behind, Zander backtracked to take care of him once and for all, but, were faced with a greater problem. Unfortunately Zander and Betha’s crew, found themselves prisoners of High Lord Quinn, reveling himself to be a former crew member of the Betha, but, as he prepared to kill Zander, Gadamrie, who was cloaked, came to his aid, taking out Quinn and his men, although, before they could make their escape, another mind took control of one of Gadamrie’s host bodies, apparently killing her, but after a brief battle of minds, Gadamrie regained control of her final host. Making contact with Sin, Zander found out where Touvler was being held, and as they made their plans to rescue him, they came face to face with a resurrected Quinn and a league of Federation soldiers.

And so we continue…

“Just locate Touvler, and find us a way off this ship, and fast,” He says quickly.

“Understood I will run scenarios, as for Mister Toulver, he is being held several floors below you, awaiting execution, as High Lord Quinn has sentenced him to death once the ship reaches the citadel., which we are… zzzeedfffzzz….”

“Sin?” Zander calls out, he waits for a few moment, and casts a look of worry towards Gadamrie. “SIN CAN YOU READ ME?” He yells again, but still no reply comes.

“We must move, my love, the longer we stand here, the more we run the chance of being cornered,” Gadamrie says.

“I know, I know, you’re right, you always are. Let’s, let’s try to find Touvler, then, re-link back up to Sin, get back on board Betha, and get off this crate,” he says with a smile as he lifts Quinn’s lifeless body from the floor and presses one of his dead hands against the doors activation-pad, seconds later it slides open, revealing a sea of federation soldiers waiting for them, and, standing at the back, with an evil smile on his face, is High Lord Quinn. “Should’ve know he was a Quadrapled like Salidazar,” Zander says through clenched teeth, he glances over to Gadamrie as he grips his blaster tightly. “You got something left in you?”

“Enough,” she says, placing a hand on his shoulder and the two disappear.

“DON’T LET THEM ESCAPE!” Quinn screams out as the soldiers open fire.

Zander feels his head explode as the colour is ripped from everything except him and Gadamrie, he feels the blaster shots rips through him, like a cool breeze, he looks over to Gadamrie, her face shows her struggle, her energy, almost drained, he grips her hand and charges forward through the dream like landscape, passing through the Federation soldiers as if they were mist. He feels Gadamrie lose her footing, and catches her as they both crash to the ground in a heap.

“I, WE, are sorry my love, I-I-I, I, WE, don’t think I, WE, can hold us here much longer,” she says weakly.

He looks down the hallway, then, back at her, pulling his blaster towards her, “What the hell is happening to you?”

She places a finger to his lips and smiles, “Shhhh my love, you must go, I, WE are too weak, you must find Toulver, free him, and get off this place, if, if,” she takes a deep breath and smiles once more. “The first time I, WE, saw you, with a thousand eyes, I, WE, knew, I, WE, would gladly give my life for you, for our, MY, seed, for what you will become,” she says as she leans up to kiss him, but, he pulls away.

“You can’t get off that easy, we’re going to get the hell of this pile of scrap metal, and then, you’re going to tell me what the hell you’ve put inside me, because I’m starting to get a bad feeling about all this!” he growls, as he thrusts her over his shoulders, and grits his teeth together.

“Z-Z-Z-Zander, don’t, you’ll endanger your own survival, leave me, U-U-US,” she stammers, as she tries to free herself from his hold.

“Lady, you’re not going anywhere, except off this pile of junk with me,” he says, as he charges forward, the world explodes with colour and light. The Federation soldier’s don’t know what hit them as Zander tears his way through them, blasting a pathway of blood towards Quinn, it only takes a few seconds before he feels blaster fire tear into his side, he crashes to the ground, the weight of Gadamrie, and her armour pins him to the ground, he clenches his teeth together, as he drives his fists into the metal surface and screams, forcing himself up from the floor tossing her to the side, soldiers come from every angle, tackling him to the ground once more, then, everything goes silent, as Quinn strides towards him, while the soldiers pull the struggling Zander to his feet.

“How pathetic, did you really think that would work?” Quinn says.

“Sometimes, improvising everything as you go, has a strange way of falling to pieces, unless, you plan it that way,” he says, looking to the ground with a smile, Quinn’s eyes follows Zander’s, coming to rest at his feet, where a neo-thermal grenade sits, then, everything is engulfed in a white hot light.

To Be Continued…

The Players so far..

Zander Kane, once a trusted and highly decorated general for the United Federation, Kane betrayed not only his own race, but his own flesh and blood to join the Dark Collective, so he could be with the woman he loved. Now, he rides stardust and slipstreams, captaining the Betha, fighting for the collective, in hope of one day freeing the worlds from the federations ruling grasp.

Gadamrie, a Golden Priestess in the Dark Collective, who before the federation came to power boasted over one million hosts as part of her mind hive.

Syin-To-Twenty-Seven (Sin), Betha’s sentient companion, through the link they share Sin can control and communicate between Betha and Zander, as well as accessing and sometimes controlling other forms of technology.

Touvler, Zander’s right hand man and Betha’s co-pilot, Touvler along with two others joined Zander when he defected from the United Federations to the Dark Collective.

General Salidazar, an officer in the Dark Collective, who’s loyalties, may lie somewhere else.

High Priestess Dankika, leader of the Dark Collective, a maker, a being who exists across multiple realities.

High Lord Quinn, Commander for the United Federation, and a Quadrapled, a slang term for a clone. Quinn’s past is still yet to be revealed, but his past association with Zander Kane makes his story more of a mystery.

President Balmires, the current elected president of the united federation, Balmires’ rise to power is one worth of it’s own story, soaked in blood and betrayal.

Last time on Dark Stars

Zander and the crew of Betha find themselves requested by the High Priestess, once touching down, he comes face to face with General Salidazar, who has other plans for Zander. Gadamrie intervened spoiling his plans, as the High Priestess arrived and attempted to quell the already explosive situation, to, no positive end, until Sin relayed a message, what appears to be from Zander himself, warning of the Priestess and Salidazar, verifying the information, he acted, somewhat recklessly, and fled towards an unknown destination, with Salidazar following closely behind, Zander backtracked to take care of him once and for all, but, were faced with a greater problem. Unfortunately Zander and Betha’s crew, found themselves prisoners of High Lord Quinn, reveling himself to be a former crew member of the Betha, but, as he prepared to kill Zander, Gadamrie, who was cloaked, came to his aid, taking out Quinn and his men, although, before they could make their escape, a new enemy reveled herself.

And so we continue…

Zander feels his throat knot up, as he struggles to swallow the dry mouthful of air, she reaches out to him, and touches his face.

“Don’t, we both knew, one day, our lives would be….” but she doesn’t get to finish her words as a shot rips through her head, he sucks in a deep breath and stares into the others eyes, as she swiftly raises her blaster towards him, he stares at her lips, lips he had kissed a thousand times or more, lips he had once thought were the softest things he had touched in all the worlds, now looked rigid, firm, and as she opened her mouth, he knew what words would come out.

“Death to all who oppose the president! Death to the abomination that who would be king!” She says.

“What the hell is going on?” Zander says nervously, as he quickly glances at Gadamrie’s lifeless body on the ground and then, back up to her.

“We, I, am trying to stop the end of the worlds, too long have they, SHE, played god! Giving powers to those undeserving, Zander Kane, the seed she, THEY, planted will not blossom, you will cease to exist, before it is too late,” she says as she thrusts the blaster to his forehead.

“This can’t be happening, you’re a collective of one mind, how can you be separate, how can…”

She forces his back to the wall of the metallic cell and presses up against him, her blaster still pressing against his skull. “You know nothing of what we, I, am, what we, I, was, there was never a collective of one, we, I, were a collective of many, but they, SHE, was the alpha, and we, I, the omega, across boundless realities we, I, sang our songs, until they, SHE, grew tired of us, ME, and sought another, throwing us, ME, to the side, like we, I, was nothing, locking us, ME, away, as she, THEY, rose to power! But we, I, am free now, and we, I, am more powerful than she, THEY could’ve ever dreamed!”

“STOP!” A voice booms inside her head, the room fades into darkness and she stands naked and alone.

“NO, YOU WILL NOT INTERFERE AGAIN! THIS IS WRONG, HE MUST BE DESTROYED BEFORE IT’S TOO LATE!” She bellows, spinning around in the darkness.

“You are the one interfering, I told you before, countless times, across countless stars, that I will do whatever I wish and you, will never be strong enough to stop me,” her voice echos from the darkness.

“I AM STRONGER THAN YOU COULD EVER IMAGINE, I HAVE JOINED THE STARS, I HAVE MARKED THE WORLDS, SO, COME, SHOW YOURSELF COWA… AAKK!!” She feels something grip her throat and lift her high into the air, she struggle for breath, tearing at her invisible attacker.

Zander falls to the ground and pulls up Quinn’s blaster once more, his finger trembles over the trigger, as he stares at the body of the woman he loves more than breathing, he nervously grips the trigger, and closes his eyes tightly, “I’m sorry,” he whispers.

“Stop my love, it is I,” she says, his eyes spring open, his finger releases the trigger and he lets out an exhausted breath.

“W-W-What, what the hell just happened?” He stammers.

“When we are free, and safe, away from this, I will tell you, but for now, we must concentrate on getting out of here, together,” she says reaching a hand towards him, he looks up into her dull eyes, then back to her hand, sucks in a deep breath and clutches it, they embrace tightly.

“NO! Gadamrie you tell me now, she said some crazy things, about our child, about how you are more than one entity, what was she on about?”

“Please, my love, another time and place and I would tell you, but, now is the wrong time, we must hurry, if we are to save the others.”

He stares at her for a few moments, before reaching a hand out and clutching her shoulder, “You’re right, we need to move, but, once this is over, you and I, we’re going to sit down and talk about this, understand?”

“Yes, yes of course my love, I promise,” she says, smiling softly at him

“Sin, do you have a link?” Zander says out loud, static pierces the air, and then fade away, they look at each other, and he runs a hand through his hair, as static once again erupts, this time, followed by a robotic voice.

“Affirmative Sir, link is complete, how may I be of assistance?”

“I need you to give me a game plan, find us a way off this sardine can,” Zander says quickly.

“I’m sorry Sir, I do not understand the term, ‘sardine can’?”

“Just locate Touvler, and find us a way off this ship, and fast,” He says quickly.

“Understood I will run scenarios, as for Mister Toulver, he is being held several floors below you, awaiting execution, as High Lord Quinn has sentenced him to death once the ship reaches the citadel, which we are… zzzeedfffzzz….”

“Sin?” Zander calls out, he waits for a few moment, and casts a look of worry towards Gadamrie. “SIN CAN YOU READ ME?” He yells again, but still no reply comes.

“We must move, my love, the longer we stand here, the more we run the chance of being cornered,” Gadamrie says.

“I know, I know, you’re right, you always are. Let’s, let’s try to find Touvler, then, re-link back up to Sin, get back on board Betha, and get off this crate,” he says with a smile as he lifts Quinn’s lifeless body from the floor and presses one of his dead hands against the doors activation-pad, seconds later it slides open, revealing a sea of federation soldiers waiting for them, and, standing at the back, with an evil smile on his face, is High Lord Quinn. “Should’ve know he was a Quadrapled like Salidazar,” Zander says through clenched teeth, he glances over to Gadamrie as he grips his blaster tightly. “You got something left in you?”

“Enough,” she says, placing a hand on his shoulder and the two disappear.

“DON’T LET THEM ESCAPE!” Quinn screams out as the soldiers open fire.

To Be Continued…