“Intriguing! This could be an archive, cold-stored to maintain integrity through millions of boot ups.” Dr Zimmermann chattered excitedly, sifting through their findings so far. “Freyr, you seeing this?”

“Umm...yeah. Sorry.” Freyr muttered, massaging her eye sockets. She put her hands on the holo-map console and blinked hard a few times. It felt like she had a migraine coming on, which should’ve been impossible. She closed her eyes again, and a voice rang out as if they were right in front of her.

“Mom, what’s this one?” Amy looked up at her with wide eyes, a tiny finger pointing to the 3D fish projected from the holopad. A gentle wave lapped against Freyr’s toes, leaving a soft pillow of foam.

“No…” Freyr managed a hoarse whisper, otherwise transfixed in place. She couldn’t move.

---

595 studied the bright hole in the floor and bit her lip. She considered sending a virus in there to reconnoitre, but didn’t want to aggravate the Navigator anymore than they probably already had. ”So you are learning…” a familiar voice whispered part of a muffled sentence in her ear. She looked sharply around, but saw no one apart from the Rothian soldiers on her other side.

She shook her head. “Fuck it. Take my hand.” 595 holstered her main gun and grasped the rugged alloy of Vreta’s armoured palm, ignoring his protests. “Don’t let go.” She directed a brave smile straight at the spook’s visor and winked, then her visor slid back over her face. The red targeting triangle blinked on, and 595 began walking them carefully towards the edge of the hole. She was leaning towards it at a thirty degree angle, holding Vreta’s hand at full stretch behind her.

---

”That’s an Outreman Anglerfish.” Freyr heard herself say in her head. She felt a tear squeeze through the gap in her clenched eyelids. “They use a bioluminescent fin to lure other animals into biting range. They’re very similar to deep-sea predators on other worlds, and we’re not sure why.” Freyr stroked Amy’s head, brushing a lock of hair out of her eyes. “Eww, he’s ugly.” Amy stuck her tongue out, then laughed and looked up at her.

“It’s not real, it’s not real.” Freyr whispered, bent over the console. With a titanic effort, she raised a hand above her head. She patted herself on the back of the head, willing the seizure to end. She was vaguely aware of people talking, but couldn’t hear what they said.

---

On closer inspection, the liquid in the hatchway was more like a gel. It lapped against 595’s boot as she carefully planted it next to the edge. She checked her grip on Vreta was solid, then carefully leaned over to take a look.

The bright light initially dazzled her screen and sensors, then subsided to a bearable level. It illuminated the walls of the square hatchway as it plunged into the depths of the cube below. The gel seemed to go down for miles, ending in blackness at the bottom. She could see moving parts, like clockwork intersecting the tunnel.

“You’ve been selected from your peers to realise our true cause. Congratulations...Agent 595.” The Director-General smiled at her.

For both Vreta and Rhia, it was difficult to put into words what they experienced. Vreta had taken 595’s hand, but it did not matter that he was not the one to try and take a closer look. They found themselves quite suddenly no longer experiencing the world through his body. They were only vaguely aware of time passing as their minds seemed to have been taken to a different place. Their minds connected and intermingled not only with the object, but at least for a moment, with one another as well. Vreta caught short, but intense glimpses of memory and emotion from 595, just as she did from him. It was not long before Vreta found himself in a distant, but familiar memory.

---

Vreta cast his gaze up to Throssai far above him. The gas giant was by far the most dominant object in the sky, and what a beautiful object it was. Growing up on this moon, he realized he had often taken it for granted, but after living on Rothia for so long, he was glad to be able to take in its beauty again. The swirling, multicolored clouds were like an ever-changing piece of art as storms larger than entire planets shaped the clouds. He was stood on the very edge of a section of a sheer cliff that jutted out over a vast valley. It would normally be quite a precarious position, but the reduced gravity of Syr’Jakra meant that no fall was truly dangerous. He could jump down off the cliff himself if he wanted to and land safely below, though the time required to climb back up would probably end up canceling his planned picnic.

Vreta closed his eyes and hummed when he felt the familiar, pleasant sensation of another embracing him. He had heard the footsteps behind him, but he pretended not to notice as his husband hugged him around his waist and leaned in to rest his head in the nape of his neck. They were both silent for a few moments before eventually opening their eyes to enjoy the view together.

“I can see why you love this spot so much.” Karaz commented, looking out onto a cityscape in the distance in the valley. “I always wanted to be able to travel the galaxy and see all these exotic places. You got to grow up in one of them.”

Vreta chuckled. “Well, didn’t seem that exotic as a hatchling. It was just…home. I suppose it still is, in a way.”

The pair took a moment to find a comfortable place to sit and lay out all they had brought with them. Comfortable blankets, drinks, and of course a nice meal. Karaz had handled the food, so naturally he had chosen Vreta’s favorite. He set down a cylindrical canister on the rocks, and with the press of just a few buttons, it went from preserving the meat inside to cooking it. It was cultured from a kind of alien crustacean for which Vreta had a particular taste.

Once they were settled in, Vreta could no longer contain the smile he had been holding back. “I have some, uh, good new for you, actually. You know that proposal you wanted me to bring forward? For the s-series scanners? Well, I brought it forward, managed to have a nice chat with some of the regulators, and it was accepted. In full.”

Karaz had already been smiling when Vreta started, but those last two words seemed to have him in shock. “Wait, in full, in full?”

“In full.”

In just that moment, Karaz could hardly contain his excitement. He immediately pulled him into a tight hug while nuzzling his snout against Vreta’s. “That’s far more advanced than anything I was expecting them to approve. I mean, I expected you would be able to get them to agree, but not without some modifications to the core of the sensor. The s-series has far better cellular penetration than anything I can get in the field. When we bring it to the Tindrel, not only will we be able to mark the virus’ progress, but we’ll be able to reverse the damage it’s done in survivors. By the rings, you don’t even know how many lives you’ve saved here.”

Vreta laughed and gave a few pats to Karaz’s shoulder. “Come on, we both know this was your idea. You’re the one who did the heavy lifting on writing the proposal. I just did some editing, added some flowery language, and talked up your ideas to a few of the regulators. This is your win. The whole proposal wouldn’t have even existed without you.”

“Yeah, well, you know I don’t know how to talk to those bureaucrats. Still wouldn’t have happened without you either.”

Vreta rolled his eyes. “Fine, fine, I’ll take some credit. But you know there are still conditions, right? It’s been approved for trials with Tindrel, Human, and Ulsix only. And it’s still regulated tech, so that means mandatory supervision. Not necessarily armed, but with failsafes.”

Karaz let out a deep sigh. Reality did temper his feelings somewhat, but it was still wonderful news for him. “I know. It’s still worlds better than what we’ve had to work with, I just…I wish we didn’t have to hold ourselves back so much. At least not with medical tech. What harm would it really do if they learned how to better treat the sick?”

While Karaz spoke, Vreta moved himself up alongside him and wrapped his tail around him to hold him close. “I understand how you feel, but it’s always a risk. The same core principles that govern those scanners would also make great sensors for guided ordinance.” Vreta pointed out, though no matter how many times they had this discussion, he had never been able to change Karaz’s mind. As a doctor, when he saw people suffering and dying from preventable causes, he could not help but to feel that it was the Rothians doing something wrong by being too safe. There were many people who did not feel that Rothians were obligated to help every other less-advanced species with their own problems, but Karaz was certainly not one of them. He was the most compassionate soul that Vreta knew, which was in large part why he had become his mate.

Regardless of the caveats, Karaz was still overjoyed by the news. Though, as he started to prepare the food and wine for their picnic, there was a tinge of guilt that came across his expression. He might not have brought it up, but Vreta knew him more than well enough to notice, and he was rather bad at lying to him.

“Come on, what is it? You can tell me; I’m sure it’s not that bad.” Vreta asked.

“No, it’s not bad at all, really. It’s just…” Karaz began, rubbing the back of his neck. “My boss has been impressed with my work, actually. The Tindrel too have been approving, and they want to expand the project. They offered me the position of chief medical officer. They want me to lead the project from the captial. The, um…Tindrel capital. That is really the best place to get the best results, but, well…the gateway network isn’t really built out too well near Tindrel space yet, so…”

Vreta turned his head, looking out once again into the valley below. “...so you won’t be able to come back for a while.”

“I wouldn’t, but…don’t worry about it. I’m going to turn it down. You’ve already done so much for the project with those scanners; it will be fine without me. Someone else can take over. I don’t want to do that to you, I…” Karaz was ready to continue with his excuses, but Vreta soon interrupted him by planting his hands firmly on both of his shoulders.

“Don’t give me that. No one is going to do as good of a job as you. This is your calling, and I’m not going to have you giving it up just for me. Those people deserve you, and no one less.” Vreta said in a voice that was just as firm as his grip.

Karaz did not have an answer to give in words, but he did return the most pure smile before pulling him again into a loving embrace. As the memory faded, one could feel Vreta’s emotions turning bittersweet. As wonderful of a memory as it had been for him, it had also been the last time the two of them spent any significant time together as a couple. While they did not stop caring for one another, the paths on which their lives took them ended up pulling them in different directions, to the point where their relationship could no longer be sustained.

“Your old name no longer applies. You’re a faithful servant of the Institute now. An instrument through which we accomplish the will of the Cradle, together.” The Director-General continued, both hands clasped on the desk in front of him.

Like everywhere in the Institute, his office was almost completely dark. Thin blue chemical lights stapled the walls about halfway up, leading to the door. The main illumination though, came from the two sets of augmented eyes which stared unblinkingly at each other.

Two walls of the office consisted of giant windows, including behind where the Director-General was sat. The Cradle’s white fibrous material whirled against the glass like a howling blizzard.

Agent 595 stood up perfectly straight in front of the Director-General’s desk, arms neatly folded behind her back. She was the happiest and most excited she’d ever been, but maintained a neutral expression. Her tutorial was finally over! Now the real work could begin.

“How do you feel?” The DG asked, studying her closely.

“I feel ready to get started, sir.” 595 replied levelly.

“Good, because I have your first directive. Take two of the novitiates, capture 127, and bring him to me. He’s lost his way, and will not return to the Institute willingly. If he tries to escape, kill him. Think you can handle that?”

“Sir, yes sir.”

“Good. You’re dismissed.”

595 turned and walked halfway to the door.

“Oh, Agent?”

She turned and stood at attention again. “Yes, sir?”

“Don’t take too long - this is just the start.”

---

When 595 woke up, she was underwater. She tried to open her mouth and gasp for air, but realised she couldn’t do that. She thrashed around desperately, but could see no way out of the cave-like complex she was in. She began swimming quickly down one of the passages, only stopping when she realised she wasn’t drowning. In fact, she felt completely at ease in the water. She looked around.

She appeared to be in some kind of vast underwater reef. All kinds of vegetation and wildlife clung to the rock around the edge of the circular passage. There were a myriad of different pathways, and she found she knew where she was. She was in her residential colony, just a short swim from the city centre.

As her senses gradually acclimated to her surroundings, 595 became aware of a shrill warning sound coming from nearby. Something must be wrong - she recognised it as the evacuation alarm.

Suddenly, a tightly packed group of pale grey flesh exploded past her. 595 shouted out in surprise at the unfamiliar sensation of them calling for her to escape with them. She didn’t even know what they were, so wasn’t about to join them.

Then she sensed a familiar voice, and swivelled to look towards the caller.

Four long swimming creatures approached her. They looked like the kind of giant predatory cephalopods that’d been apparently hunted to extinction on most of the Human planets 595 had visited. She instinctively backed up, unwilling to get too close, until she realised who they were.

There was a great deal for Vreta to take in. His own memories, memories of other, they all intertwined within his mind and played out as if they were his own. Eventually, those disjointed memories faded and settled into one reality. Or at least, something that had the appearance of a reality.

Vreta did not know where he was or what exactly was happening. He was underwater, yet did not feel the urge to hold his breath. Alarms blared all around him, and he was able to hear them far more clearly than he would have expected underwater. He felt pulled to swim in one direction through the rounded pathways of this strange city. Even still, he did not fully realize what he was until he came across some of the others. They were large cephalopods with a body type similar to many creatures that had evolved on many worlds. They had no features in common with any Rothian, yet somehow, he still recognized each of them on sight. Eti, then Mar and Kelest, and finally Agent 595.

“I feel…we need to keep moving. I don’t know why.” Vreta ‘said’, yet he spoke no words. His thoughts became patterns of color on his skin that could somehow be understood.

“...Vreta? Guys?” 595 asked, floating a bit closer, regarding each of them with her deep, dark eyes in turn. She instinctively tried to access her implants, but found she couldn’t access anything. She couldn’t find a connection to the rig either. “What...happened? How did we get here?” She awkwardly signed to the group.

More of their kind swished frantically past, just as the Agent felt the ripples of what felt like an explosion wash through the reef. For a moment, everyone stopped, listening to the current. The fluctuations grew stronger, and some of the group further down the tunnel turned and fled back towards them.

“We should-” 595 began to sign when the entire reef shook violently with another explosion, much closer this time. A gigantic surge of superheated water crashed through one of the nearby passages, turning the whole area into a whirling maelstrom.

Overcome by aquatic fear, 595 turned tail and fled, but was instantly buffeted by the surge, tumbling into the sides of the tunnel and losing her bearings as all hell broke loose. 595 shouted out, her skin pulsing wildly.

What Vreta and Rhia experienced from moment to moment was truly unprecedented. Vreta could no longer access any of his implants, but she was still part of his mind. Likewise, she had only his senses with which to perceive the world. At the very least, he did not have to think about how to use this strange new body, as it seemed to be as natural as his own.

Unfortunately, the chaos around them only grew with every moment that passed. An explosion tore apart part of the reef, which was followed by a powerful surge against which none of them could hope to swim. Despite it all, Vreta’s training was ingrained enough that he was compelled to focus. It was still his mind within this body, so his instinct was to try and address the danger in front of him, no matter how little agency any of them seemed to have.

Vreta’s own skin lit up in response to 595’s. “Swim…down! Away from the source!” Vreta “shouted”. Eti’s team followed his lead, though there was no guarantee anyone would be able to resist the sort of currents they were being subjected to.

The swell violently dragged 595 against the verdant sides of the tunnel. Jagged rocks slashed her sides, mixing blue ichor in with the clouds of debris that’d come loose. Skin lighting up with pain, she used her powerful tentacles to push out from the wall and down, away from the initial surge.

“Stay close!” The Agent signed, maneuvering round a two-storey boulder that’d come free of its coral moorings and was sinking to the bottom. She searched desperately for an exit along the sides of the tunnel as they swam in loose formation, but all the main causeways were now jammed with hundreds of giant cephalopods desperately trying to escape all at once. Even more were emerging from their homes in chasms below them, swerving erratically to avoid being crushed by falling parts of the reef.

Another monumental explosion rocked the reef, and a billowing mushroom of superheated water exploded through a new crack in the roof a mile in front of them, vaporising dozens of their kind instantly. 595 did an abrupt about face, scanning the area ahead when two long tentacles grabbed her from the side and spun her around. She found a bulky soldier in full armour, with just her head and two arms sticking out of a borehole in the reef. “Where is your Senator!” They shouted at 595 through the chaotic din. “Who?” 595 signed back, confused.

The soldier immediately lost interest in her when Vreta swam into view. The tentacles dislodged from her and wrapped around the smaller male squid, pulling him towards the hole. “Senator! I need to get you to safety right now!”

Just then, a long, eerie, alien wail penetrated the waters. It was similar to the sound their ancient predators made when on the hunt, but finished with a deep thumping that almost sounded like...laughter. Most of the civilians in the tunnel cried out in fear and panic, redoubling their efforts to flee. The distant sounds of battle, weapons and bombs, wafted through the water from above somewhere, assaulting 595’s senses.

“What is happening!” She demanded, swimming over to the soldier, wrapping one tentacle around Vreta to stop him moving. The soldier looked at her. “It's here. Let go.” was the reply.

There were moments where Vreta’s thoughts were cast back to the ruined temple, to the beam of light, the hatchway, and his own memories that he had been brought back to. However, such thoughts were fleeting. It was as if his thoughts were being forced into the present, to focus on what was in front of him.

The tunnel was starting to feel more and more like a tomb as parts of it continued to collapse. How long before it fell apart to the point that they would be trapped? Or perhaps they already were and simply did not know it yet? Either way, it still felt right to keep moving forward, away from the threat. Though, there were many others doing the same. The tunnels soon became crowded with many other cephalopods trying desperately to find some measure of safety.

The soldier was someone new, and yet Vreta knew to follow the instructions given. When the soldier mentioned the “Senator”, Vreta knew it was him even before he was noticed. The chute was their escape, or at least the next place they needed to go. It would lead them to another part of the reef towards…something. Something important to see. “Right…of course, let’s hurry.”

Vreta reached out a tentacle and wrapped it around one of 595’s, tugging on her to encourage her to follow behind him. He did not hesitate to follow the soldier into the chute, while the rest moved in behind him one-by-one. Eti and her team retained their minds just as much as Vreta did, but they could not bring themselves to make any protest. The path forward seemed inevitable.

595 felt compelled to follow the Vreta into the borehole, despite a niggling feeling in the back of her mind that this was a terrible idea. The whole area was unstable, and who knew what was on the other end! Somebody find me a weapon, she thought to herself, and her mind flashed back to two strange looking hands cradling an awkward-looking gun. The thought left as quickly as it arrived, and the Agent obediently entered the hole after the Senator.

They quickly wiggled along the claustrophobic tunnel with the help of their tentacles. 595 knew that these arteries crisscrossed the entire reef and were reserved for VIPs, military and government employees. She knew they were supposed to be reinforced, but that knowledge was no comfort when after a few minutes a crack appeared above their heads. The two sides began grinding together like two tectonic plates. “Go, go, go!” 595 flashed, pushing up against Vreta as the sides tightened around her bulbous form.

The soldier noticed the crack and turned a right angle at the next junction. They burst from the tunnel as fast as they could, just when millions of tons of coral shifted violently, crushing the last of the Senator’s staff members before they could escape. 595 flashed a pattern of pure anguish and rushed to pull at the tentacle tip protruding from the rock face - it tore clean away.

The Agent dropped the dead appendage and turned to face the group. Only then did she notice that none of them were looking at her. “What’s happening?” She asked, surveying the scene.

They were on a ledge of polished stone that wrapped around this section of the reef - a gargantuan monolith protruding from vast sandy plains on the ocean bed, extending all the way to the unlivable heights above. Far off in the distance, they could see other reefs through the dusty waters. One of them looked to be erupting with jets of lava.

The sounds of battle were deafening here. 595 noticed manned point defence cannons clinging like limpets to the ledge and reef above them. They were all firing missiles at once.

A sleek metal vessel shaped like a squid but hundreds of times the size roared over their heads before heading upwards. 595 followed it with her eyes, and realised dozens of ships were rising from the reefs, heading towards-

Oh.

High above them, hovering like an obsidian tear in the bright backdrop of the surface, was the Hegemon. Its tetrahedral mass hung completely motionless in the water, wavy points of energy flickering all around it like monochrome sunbeams. The shoals of combat craft strafing it looked miniscule by comparison.

Another mechanical siren pierced the cacophony around them, sending a chill through 595’s nervous system. A thought entered her mind that was entirely alien; a deep, soulless evil.

><^You

DARE

defy your

GOD?

“It’s not safe here. I need to get you on a transport right away, sire. Are you hurt? We need to swim along the reef.” The soldier shouted in front of Vreta, checking him up and down. A group of other soldiers barged past them, carrying nets of equipment behind them. “I need a weapon, and we should fight, not run!” 595 shouted, immediately feeling a disapproving tug in the back of her consciousness.

While he normally would be more attentive, Vreta did not notice what was happening behind him. How could he when the behemoth object looming overhead so strongly demanded his gaze? Vreta had never seen such a thing before, but his instinct pulled him towards a sense of dread. The words in his mind felt like they were forced into his thoughts by violence, then burned into his memory.

Vreta seemed almost in a trance until he saw 595 shouting in the periphery of his vision. It was enough to pull him back into the “reality” in front of him. He noticed her injury, something that, at any other moment, would be a grave concern. He knew not where the rest of his companions were, but the soldiers swimming past and the one in charge of escorting him were who had his attention now. Everything was moving so quickly, and Vreta had no choice but to follow the current.

The soldier did not so much as acknowledge 595’s desire to fight, and even Vreta could not bring himself to seriously consider it. Escape: that was the only choice. He had to make his escape and hope the rest of his companions could do the same. “I am fine, we’ll be right behind you. We have to escape, it’s…the only way.” He swam alongside 595 and wrapped a tentacle around her so that he could help her keep up despite her injury.

“Follow me closely, let's move!” The soldier commanded, before swimming up the sheer face of the reef. Flagging a bit from her wounds, 595 followed beside Vreta as they stuck close to the side; one of her beady eyes fixed on the Hegemon at all times.

The cephalopod warships were launching everything they had at the massive inverted pyramid. But the salvoes of time-delay missiles all bloomed harmlessly on crackling shields before getting close enough to deal damage. That deep, thumping laugh issued across the seabed again, making the Agent shiver.

The Hegemon ignored the vessels. A large red eye-like opening appeared in one of its faces, which then lazily turned to the reef closest to their own. A quartet of bright lasers expanded from the eye into a precise grid across the entire monolith. With barely a moment’s delay, the entire grid lit up in a blinding flash of white light.

595 stopped swimming and pushed the Senator and herself again reef as a supersonic bang exploded across the empty space. “Come on!” She saw the soldier shout, whacking them all with her tentacles. “Don’t look at it! We’re nearly there!”

595 looked anyway, and struggled to comprehend what was happening. The entire billion tonne monolith was beginning to fall apart, shrouded in superheated steam. Coral dust filled the water, and a second wave battered them against the rocks.

They reached a large rectangular aperture and rushed inside. Large civilian and military transports were mixed up together, hurriedly being packed with people to evacuate. It was a living hell of desperate people, driven by fear and loathing. They had to stop by the cave’s mouth to avoid being pulverised by a leisure cruiser coming in to land.

The soldier barged through the swirling crowds, one tentacle firmly holding onto the Senator. “There they are!” He signed, waving wildly at a sleek military jet that was taxiing to launch. The pilots must have seen them swimming into their path, because it stopped and one of the side doors opened. A mess of government officials and senior military officers spilled out and approached them.

“President Pro tempore! The President, Vice President and Lower Chamber are all gone. That makes you the commander in chief now, sir! We need to get you to safety right away!” One of the advisors signed hurriedly, gesturing for the Senator to come with them to the jet. A bulky general floated in close. “What are your orders? We’re being torn apart!”

595 looked nervously back at the Hegemon as they began swimming; it was still clearly visible through the hangar entrance. It was now picking off warships with dozens of precise energy beams, like a child might pull wings off an insect. Another grinding wail blasted her senses. “If we’re going to go, we need to go right now!” She urged.

The decisions before Vreta were none he had ever hoped to have to make. It was a nightmare scenario, and he only wished there was something to wake him up. Still, he had his duty, and it fell unto him to make the hard choices that needed to be made. There would be no miracle solution, no victory, and all he could hope for was that his choice would allow enough people to live on to hate him for it.

“The generation vessel set to depart next month, Perseverance? Have your soldiers seize it. Embark as many as we can onto it; prioritize science and military personnel, and skilled specialists. If it reaches capacity, remove any non-qualifying civilians if you have to. Give the vessel standing orders to depart for its destination in an hour, or if the invaders get within half an ocean of it. Whether we’re there or not.” Vreta ordered. The vessel was currently docked in port halfway across the planet, and it was owned and staffed by a private company. However, with death looming over their entire species, Vreta no longer gave respect to the concept of legality.

Despite his orders being nothing short of criminal, Vreta had no hesitation in giving them. “One of our colonies, Resolution, has a generation vessel ready as well, yes? Send word that they are to do the same. General, I need your forces to continue throwing everything they have at the invader. We will need as much time as they can buy us. After the vessels have launched, everyone left alive should go into hiding wherever they can. Now, let’s move.”

They piled into the jet together. It was cramped and overcrowded; 595 squashed into the corner by the forward doors while the Senator was bustled to the hot seat. Dozens of civilians noticed they were preparing to launch and spilled past overstretched security onto the runway. “Stay your course.” She saw an advisor order the pilots through the open cockpit doors.

The jet thundered out of the hangar at breakneck speed, heading upwards and off to port, away from the Hegemon. 595 pushed her eye against one of the portholes, mesmerised by the asymmetrical slaughter unfolding before them.

The Hegemon appeared to have grown bored of the warships flitting around it now, and was lazily turning towards their own reef. The Agent watched on in horror as the quartet of lasers pored over her home, forming a perfect grid…

Suddenly a blinding blue beam, a hundred metres in diameter, connected the top of the Hegemon with somewhere above the waves of the sea. The machine’s horrific alien shriek disturbed the heavens. A pulsing shield flared across its entire surface area, and it wobbled precariously in the water, as if struggling below the weight of this beam

595 pivoted to look upwards, straining to catch a glimpse of what might be unleashing such fury on their aggressor. Flashes of confusion and awe rippled through the jet’s occupants.

In the blink of an eye, Hegemon shot towards the surface, breaking through and disappearing in an instant. The blue beam followed it, sporadically hitting the seabed before disappearing too.

In its wake, the Hegemon had left an enormous bubble of energy that was expanding in all directions. A solid wall of vaporising water rushed forward to encompass the reefs on both sides.

“Punch it!” The advisor gestured strenuously to the pilots. The engine noise rose to a crescendo and 595 instinctively grabbed hold of the door’s handle as alarm noises began sounding in the confined space. “EMP!” The co-pilot flailed, a few seconds before the wall of water hit them.

Vreta took in a long, deep breath, now that he had the lungs to do so. The change was dramatic, and it took a moment for his mind to come to terms with it. Rhia was already double checking her connections to his implant network and running diagnostics, but Vreta simply had to regain his bearings.

For now, the last moments of the memory were burned into his mind. Death and devastation, panic and fear, and only a sliver of hope. He had, as far as he could tell, experienced a glimpse into the life of another. It was a strange experience, as he was still “himself”, but his mind believed the reality placed before him. He was the Senator, for those few minutes. He saw the Hegemon descending upon their world with no concern for any resistance they put forward, until something from above pulled its attention.

Vreta felt like he could spend weeks trying to sort through everything he had experienced, but Rhia urged him after only moments to get back up to his feet. Eti and her team were doing the same, and with good reason. Regardless of what they had experienced, they were still in the middle of the ruined temple now, so they would not be safe. He looked around frantically for 595 for a few moments, until he realized that he was still holding her hand. “Agent, are you awake? Can you move? We need to go.”

The group hallucination in the temple only lasted a couple of minutes in real time. About halfway through, the crew of the Barbarossa knew something was wrong.

Captain Andersen had felt a bit like a spare part to begin with. She’d remained in the staging bay with her officers, even as most of the scientific staff had been rushed down to the forward operating base.

The rows of harnesses were quiet now, with just a few people and drones attending them. So, they’d clustered around the workspace that was feeding through telemetry from the simulation. Andersen didn’t understand most of it, so she contented herself with listening in on comms chatter between the rig and the real world team.

She grew fidgety when it became apparent the rig had lost comms with the team inside this alien temple, but she didn’t have time to dwell on it too long. A holo of her XO, stationed on the bridge, appeared on the table facing her.

“Ma’am, we’ve uncovered a signal originating from outside of this system! They’re sniffing our connection to the FOB, and hacking into our mainframe.” Andersen’s eyes widened. She looked at Rareth, who appeared on the surface as surprised as she. “What!? How is that possible?” She asked her second in command.

“It looks to be piggybacking on the simulation’s connection, ma’am.” her XO replied.

“Well shut it down!” Andersen snapped.

“We can’t close the connection now. Our team will be trapped inside.” The sole awake Human scientist from Freyr’s team who stayed behind on the Barb protested. Andersen was in her personal space almost immediately. “Well you tell them to pull out then, NOW!”

Andersen whirled around as the scientist rapidly got in touch with the FOB. She stormed past Rareth with her staff in tow, towards the waiting buggies. “I’ll contact you from the bridge, Rareth ‘Jharn.”

---

595 blinked furiously, her mind full of scorpions. She felt confused and extremely hungry. She eventually realised Vreta was talking to her. Her mind cleared a little bit, as one of her newly configured implants administered chemicals to level out her brain activity. She forcefully pressed her need to feed to the back of her mind. “Uhh...yeah. I can move. What just happened?”

The ground beneath them shook violently. 595’s ultra sensitive hearing picked up the sound of rocks falling in the distance. “Ground team to the rig. What’s your status?” … Nothing. 595 looked at Vreta.

There were many questions that Rareth could, and certainly would ask in time about this situation. They would have to find out who could be in position to perform a cyberattack in their system, but first, they needed to respond to and deal with it. Any questions could wait.

Disconnecting those in the simulation forcefully was not an option, so they needed to respond to the attack itself. Rareth did not wait for the Captain to reach the bridge before contacting her. “The harnesses do not require a connection to your ship’s mainframe to function, yes? Disconnect them from your ship’s storage drives and there will be nothing connected to the network for this attacker to access. The harnesses on the FOB are on a closed system already, but I will send word to warn them as well not to allow access to any outside networks.”

---

Vreta wasted no time in helping 595 up to her feet. His worries only grew when he realized they did not have contact with the rig at the moment. The cables leading back to it could have taken some damage while they were unconscious. Though still somewhat disoriented, Vreta finally released 595’s hand, gripped his weapon, and turned back towards the temple’s exit. “I don’t know, but let’s hurry. We get back to the rig, get back to the real world, then we can talk about it.”

Without hesitation, Eti’s team once again took up formation surrounding the pair of them. “Stay between us, and move cautiously. We need to get back quick, but let’s still try to avoid drawing attention if we can help it.”

595 stood up unsteadily and grabbed her gun. She could tell there was more to learn here, but they needed to re-establish contact with the rig first. “Alright. Let’s move.”

They set off at a jog, scanning in all directions. They’d only made it halfway round the masonry covering the throne when the relative calm of the simulation was interrupted by an unbearably loud blip.. “I’ve heard that before! Ground team, come in and tell me you heard that.” The Agent urged while on the move.

“What...have...you...DONE?” A synthesised voice called to them from behind - the hatchway! 595 spun round and raised her weapon, breathing heavily. She could see nothing there. Just then, a burst of static arrived via comms from the rig. It was drowned out by a longer sound they’d identified as some kind of data transmission, then an immense crash from the mountain they were on. She could hear cracks spreading. “Shit!”

595 looked back towards the door. They only had a thin view through the temple at the spectrometer. She focused, and saw the boxy shape begin to scrape backwards towards the rig, pulled by its cable.

---

Freyr had only just recovered from her own vision when the mountain started to collapse. A faint blue light shone through the snow covering the plinth, and the lights inside the rig started flickering wildly. Some consoles around Freyr turned off completely; others flashed with alien symbols.

“What's going on?” Dr Wetherall shouted. He’d moved up to the bridge to attend Freyr when she’d shown signs of distress. No immediate response from Nirann. “Nirann!”

Freyr’s stomach lurched, and suddenly the floor wasn’t even any more. She grabbed hold of the command console for support. “Get back downstairs now! Figure out what's going on.” She ordered. “Marae, where is Nirann?” She asked, moving awkwardly towards the cockpit.

Between the voice, the strange sounds, and the deafening crash, Eti had a rather rapid change of heart regarding her plan. “On second thought, screw caution. Best speed forward, follow my lead!” Eti shouted. Her armor’s thrusters deployed, both on her back, and the back of her legs. She leaned forward and sprinted forward into a thruster-assisted leap forward. She did not know entirely 595’s capabilities, but she seemed to be aware of the fact that she could at least keep up in theory. Mar, Kelest, and Vreta were all quick to follow suit. Vreta himself was slower than the soldiers, particularly as he was carrying their transit station, but the soldiers made sure not to outpace him by too much.

---

Marae tried to check the rig’s systems to figure out Nirann’s status, but she had no more luck using the consoles than Freyr did. “I…don’t’ know. Something’s disrupting, well…everything. Nirann! Are you alright? What’s happening?”

At first, there was no answer. Consoles continued to flicker, and after a few moments, the room darkened as it switched to emergency lighting. However, the slight red glow of the eyes of Nirann’s droid body soon pierced through the shadows as he regained control of his frame. “Present! I’m fine, just a…minor near-death experience. Something’s draining the rig’s power, and it was taking mine too…somehow. I had to cut myself off from the rig, so I don’t have control anymore. I, uh, suggest we grab the mobile transit stations and make ourselves scarce.”

595 ran forward, stepped onto a low slab of rubble and jumped. Her EVA harness jets activated, and she flew across the ruined temple, arms windmilling. She palmed off one of the standing pillars and landed awkwardly by the spectrometer, one hand resting on the ground. She quickly checked it; dead.

She straightened up and stared out of the doors, through showers of brick dust towards the rig. The mountain had receded dramatically since they’d gone inside, and it now hung precariously on the edge, one side of wheels up in the air.

As they watched, another ear-splitting boom shook the mountain. Rocks fell from the peaks off to their left, and a big crack appeared between the top face of the cube and everything else. The rig dropped about ten metres as the shelf of rock it clung to came loose, then carried on slipping down the mountain.

“Freyr, can you re-” 595 started urgently calling in, when the cables attached to her snapped taut, pulling the agent off her feet, down the temple steps and through the snow of the plinth, now flashing blue. “Argh!” 595 grunted, struggling to get the transit station off her back.

---

”Not yet! The ground team is out there!” Freyr shouted from inside the cockpit. She slipped into the pilot’s seat and wrestled with the controls. “If we’re being sapped, so are they! Someone please give me everything we’ve got to the anti-grav thrusters!”

---

The rig’s sonic countermeasures had ceased, which meant the swarm above them was regaining its coherence. They saw an isolated, tasty morsel sliding out of the temple, and swooped in for the attack with a deathly screeching.

Nirann may no longer have been connected directly to the rig’s systems, but he could still use a console like anyone else. He rushed over to the nearest still-functioning console and used his emergency overrides to get control over whatever functionality was left. As far as he was concerned, the anti-grav thrusters were the only system that actually mattered at the moment, so he shifted power from everything else to keep them going as long as possible. The rig’s fall slowed dramatically, but it was only a temporary solution.

“The rig doesn’t matter!” Nirann shouted. “We’re not in the jamming field this far out, and the transit stations will work without the rig. I have the data we’ve been analyzing in my memory, so as long as we get out of here alive, we can salvage this mission.”

“He’s right, we need to evacuate!” Marae said as she started to move towards the exit.

---

Rhia saw it coming before Vreta did. He did not question her when she warned him to yank his cables immediately, which did at least save him from being pulled from his feet. Though, that was far from the end of their problems. The rig was coming closer to slipping off of the mountain entirely; if those inside had not already evacuated, they needed to do so as soon as possible.

Vreta leaped forward, his thrusters helping him to close the gap to 595. Fortunately, the rig’s slip into the abyss did start to slow, which gave Vreta the chance to catch up to her. As quickly as he could, Vreta tried to help her get the transit station off her back, and get her back up to her feet.

Despite the growing chaos around them, the screeching from above them could still be heard louder and louder as the creatures dove downwards. Vreta raised his rifle up towards the sky, but soon found his line-of-sight blocked by a bright, red-orange glow that filled the air above them. The moment the threat had shown itself, Eti and her team had turned back to assist. Eti and Kelest had switched to the plasma thrower firing mode of their weapons, allowing them to protect them with an umbrella of superheated plasma.