Marrakt

The Darkness Within

”Ensign Kayler. Ensign Kayler.”

The buzz of his personal intercom was as persistent as it was irritating. It would not go away however. He opened his eyes with a groan, shielding them from the red blinking of his personal comm.

”Ensign Kayler, you are late for your briefing,” said the slightly irritating robot woman.

”Whatever,” he raised his hand, clenching it into a fist and bringing it down on top of the stupid blinking light.

It smashed, and the red light was no more. ”And fuck off too,” he moaned again before laying his head back down.

Turning his head to see who was lying next to him, he smirked at the sight of a shock of blonde hair coming out from under the cover. It was then that the memory of last night game to him. He remembered the disco. He remembered the flashing orange lights at the top of the dance floor. He remembered seeing her there, alone. He remembered working his way over to her, placing his arm around her.....

Morgan slid out of bed, casually noting his officers uniform crumpled on the floor. As she lay there, still asleep, he gathered his clothes, smoothing them over before putting them back on. Reaching into his pocket, he drew out a small round metallic object. Bringing it to his lips, he whispered, ”One hundred and fifty four,” into it.

Placing it back into his pocket, he walked over to the mirror and looked into it. Ignoring the sight of his two bloodshot eyes staring back at him, as well as the shadows under them, he reached up, pushing the loose strands of hair back into place. Then glancing back at the sleeping girl, he smirked again.

”Sorry, duty calls. Be seeing you.”

Of course, being asleep, she couldn’t answer as he glided out of her apartment, pushing the door shut behind him.

***

The flight deck was a long, almost cavernous room. On either side of the room, lined up in order next to each other, exploration pods. Small and round aircraft, they were only designed to fit two people per craft. So it was that the exploration teams that were sent out were sent out in groups of two, first to reconnoiter and report back when it came to exploring new planets.

Their ship, the Galacticus, was a cruiser designed to house many such teams. Posted out in a remote area of the universe, inside a quadrant that had never been explored before, it was down to the people on board the Galacticus to discover and explore new frontiers.

Today, it was Morgan’s turn to go out, and his new partner, Beatrice.

They were stood on a metal walkway overlooking the exploration craft. As he came running down the walkway, Morgan noted with a strange sinking sensation in the pit of his stomach that she had already arrived, as had their superior, Major Carver. Morgan was late.

Very late.

”Sir,” Morgan began, running up to them and saluting his superior officer.

A grim, stern faced man, Major Carver did not look like the man to suffer fools gladly. Which could be borne out by the cold expression on his face.

”Ensign Kayler. If you are late again to your briefing, I will suspend both you and your partner for a week without pay,” he said in a voice that lacked any sort of warmth and humour.

”Noted Sir,” Morgan turned to look at his partner.

She was an attractive girl, not far removed from his own age. Her hair was the strangest colours, waves of purple and blue combining to give off a fascinating sheen.

”Hey there,” Morgan whispered with a grin just seconds before Major Carver cut him off.

”Ensign Kayler. Your reputation is almost legendary here on the Galacticus, as are your, uh, habits. The Science Officer, Beatrice, is not to be considered as one of your, ahhh, conquests.”

Morgan scowled at that, raising his eyebrow as the Major began detailing assignment. They’re sending me with a SCIENCE OFFICER of all people? Not a co-pilot, or a gunner? Great....just fucking great.

”Two thousand clicks away, near the edge of the system, our advanced ships caught site of a planet that we have not yet documented. This planet, from what we can see, is an arid desert world. You will have to take the appropriate gear and equipment to cope with the hazards such a desolate place will bring. You are to take the Falcon, fly over to the planet, touch down and document what you find. Do a cursory Investigation of your surroundings but don’t stray too far from your pod. Of key importance to us are signs of life, and an indication of whether the planet is suitable for colonisation?”

Glaring at the two of them, Major Carver then added, ”Any questions?”

@Guardian Angel Haruki

The Genesis of Ansolera (Guardian Angel Haruki / Marrakt)

Merrill looked at the strange being that Callie had summoned. He watched it as it headed back in the direction of the winged demon.

”Your magic is powerful, but uncontrolled. It is like a wild tempest. We need to find....”

The smoke thickened and Merrill coughed, unable to finish the sentence. Taking his own shirt, he nodded as he held it to his nose and mouth, blocking out the thick smoke. Staying low, he went down the dirt path, staying close behind Callie. On either side of the thick brush, the shadows danced, weaving in and out, illuminated by the flickering, burning inferno that raged not far away.

”I don’t like this,” Merrill whispered, taking the cloth away from his mouth for a second.

”There’s something else here.....something I can’t quite put my finger on. Something is wrong.”

For however many hours they travelled, Merrill lost count. Yet as they did traverse the winding trail in the forest, travelling deeper into its depths, the smoke lessened, as did the raging fire that burned through the undergrowth. Eventually, as the rain began to fall, the sensation of smoke lessened altogether, becoming nothing more than a slight annoyance.

Nor did the flying demon make another appearance. Perhaps whatever it was that Callie had sent at it had delayed it enough for them to make a getaway. More hours passed before Merrill finally stopped, lowering the cloth from his nose and mouth.

”I think we’ve gone far enough now.”

In front of them, the forest trail continued onwards, the muddy path disappearing into the shadows ahead.

”Perhaps we have come far enough.....to rest now,” he nodded, exhausted.

Looking to Callie, his dark eyes gleamed.

”I don’t know what to do about your form. Maybe another surge like before will restore you?”

He sat on the floor, crossing his legs as he continued to watch her curiously.

”I will watch over you while you sleep,” he said, wincing slightly at the sudden pain from the gouges on the back of his leg.

What he didn’t say though was that still, at the back of his mind, there was the strange feeling that something was wrong. There was something that he couldn’t quite put his finger on, something out of place around them.....

@Guardian Angel Haruki

The Genesis of Ansolera (Guardian Angel Haruki / Marrakt)

”I’m sorry. There is nothing I can do.”

Merrill walked away from him, leaving the man in the street, his hand outstretched, looking for coin and help that he couldn’t give.

How could I tell you?

Merrill’s mind screamed at him as he walked away. Nothing I could do could help you. The beggar would be dead within the week, a knife plunged into his gut. Merrill knew not who wielded the knife, but it might as well have been his own hand.

He turned the corner, his vision blurring. The rain poured, coming down from the heavens, soaking him to the skin. Walking into the alleyway, Merrill leaned against the wall, sliding down it, head looking up to the sky as the droplets continued to fall.

”I’m sorry,” he whispered.

He reached his hands up, running his fingers down his face, scratching furrows in his face as the tears fell. So much death. He had seen so much......so little he could do. He would have saved them all had he the power.

But he did not.

The visions....they always came true.

Finally, as blood mixed with the rain in the alleyway, Merrill’s hands fell as the stinging pain came from the tears he had ripped into his skin. Bringing his hand back up to his waist, he touched the hilt of something attached to his waist. A knife. A knife carved with the hilt of a dragon. Closing his eyes, he whispered again, ”I’m sorry.”

And then the knife was free from its fastening. Turning it in, he placed the tip of it against his chest.

”Its the only way.....”

Seconds passed. A sharp pain from his stomach. The knife fell from trembling, nerveless fingers, clattering on the floor of the alleyway. Holding his head up to the sky and the rain, eyes closed, Merrill laughed.

And as he laughed, he committed the beggars face to his memory. He committed the faces of all those he had seen die to his memory, to live there for the rest of his life.

”I’m sorry,” he whispered once more breathlessly. ”The world may forget you, but I will not. I will remember.....always remember.”

***

Merrill watched Callie. He watched her as flames burst from her fingers, striking the creature in its chest. As it screamed it’s agony, he continued to watch her. Not the girl she had transformed herself into, but the woman that she was. Time had hardened him beyond his years, turning him into the cold and emotionless person he had become, yet......

......he committed her face to his memory. This one. This one would hurt the most. It would kill him, and he did not need any visions of the future to tell him that.

Shaking slightly, as the creature reeled from the blows, clutching at its eyes even as it tried to smother the flames, Merrill ran forwards, ignoring the pain from his right leg.

”Come on.”

He grabbed her hand, and once more they ran.

The forest came, and as the demon roared once more, they burst through into the thick foliage.

Great oak trees, standing the size of two houses, shielded them suddenly from the outside world. They loomed over the two as they crashed through the forest and into its depths. Their tops blocked out the moon, and they cast great shadows over those below it.

Breathing heavily, Merrill held out his hand, and the globe of light whizzed through the air, hovering over his palm. It shedded a small amount of illumination around their surroundings. On either side, large bushes could be seen amidst the bark of the great oak trees. The foliage was thick here, almost too thick and dense to penetrate.

With the exception of a small dirt path leading its way deeper into the forest.

”I guess we have no choice but to go deeper....”

An explosion to his right cut off Merrill’s words, followed by the orange flicker of flames and thick smoke that started to billow in their direction. His eyes widened in fear as he coughed, covering his mouth as his eyes started to water.

”Its trying to burn down the forest....to smoke us out. We must run!”

As the flames started to get closer, Merrill looked to the young Callie, his eyes showing the fear that he felt inside of him......

@Guardian Angel Haruki

The Darkness Within

Name: Morgan
Profession: Pilot
Age: 22

Appearance:

Personality:

I cling on to the ghosts of the past. I wrap myself so deeply into the illusion I have weaved around myself that it has become who I really am. This is me....perhaps it has always been me.

Morgan is the quintessential joker and flirt. Brash and cocky, when he is not on duty he can be seen losing himself behind the latest cocktail or alcoholic drink. Either that or bedding someone else on the station or planet that he takes his leave on. Irreverent, arrogant and seemingly devoid of scruples and generally just not giving a damn, Morgan is the ultimate source of frustration to his superiors and his poor, long suffering partner. If he wasn’t so damn good at what he did, he would have been excised long ago from the space corps.

This is who he is.......perhaps.

The truth is something different. A man besieged with his own insecurities, believing himself to be nothing more than a failure, Morgan carries with him the ghosts of a past that he cannot truly rid himself off. He believes himself to be in over his head — and that it is nothing more than a matter of time before the truth is realised and he is exposed for the fraud that he truly is.

Morgan is haunted by the sight of a girl with blonde hair and blue eyes...looking up to him as her life slowly faded away from her. Holding her hand because for that moment, for that one moment in his life, he was powerless to do anything.....powerless to save the girl that he loved with all of his heart and soul.

It is something that is eating away at him slowly from the inside.

Morgan is afraid. Of friendship. Of companionship. Of commitment. He is frightened to love again, or to believe in anything, because if he does.....if he loses someone he cares for deeply again.....it will kill him.

It was.....is far easier to drink his troubles away. Carve another notch on that bedpost.

It allowed him to forget.

Background:

Her name was Vanna. She was the best of us, of all of us. She was better than I deserved. Now, and certainly then. Sometimes I still see her. In my sleep, in my dreams. It is the only way we can ever see each other again.

Born the son of a long line of pilots in the space corps, from an early age, it was believed that Morgan would follow in the footsteps of his parents, and indeed he did.

Just not in the way he believed that he would.

Morgan passed every single examination set in front of him by the space corps with ease. He was always the brightest and the best of his class. He was future commander material. When he met his beloved Vanna at the space corps facility and became engaged to her, it seemed his future was bright and there was no mountain that was too high for him to reach.

When it all came crashing down, it came crashing down hard. It happened the night before their wedding.

At one of the finest restaurants on the space station Eclipse, where they had met, and where they had due to be wed, Morgan stood. Taking his bride onto the dance floor, hand in hand, arm in arm, they began to dance to the sound of violins. When the loud bang came, they were all already too late. Vanna slumped forwards, into Morgan’s arms.

As he lay her down gently, cradling her, crying for help....as the blood trickled from the corner of her mouth, she looked up to him. She reached up with trembling hand, touched the side of his cheek......

”Carry on.....always....for me. I love you.”

They were the last words she ever spoke.

Vanna was given a funeral befitting her, as her coffin was sent out into space, as she would have wanted....

Two years on, Morgan honoured her final wish. Carrying on with his line of duty, he was nevertheless scarred by what had happened. A pale shadow of the man he used to be, where he acts on the surface like a cocky and arrogant braggadocio, the truth is simply that he is a person who is beset by his own insecurities and demons that he cannot truly excise.

He believes himself to be trapped in a situation that is slowly spiralling out of control....

The Darkness Within

The year is 2126. The concept of space exploration, of reaching out and travelling galaxies beyond our own is no longer a fantasy or restricted to the dreams of those with vivid imaginations.

Technological advancements mean that this is no longer a flight of fancy, it is a reality. The First Wave, a division dedicated to space travel and exploration has reached out to other galaxies and other life forms. Beginning to settle and colonise space, space stations and way points exist now all over the multiverse.

Humanity has not only met, but have formed peace treaties with other species, and are only now beginning to explore the many weird and wonderful planets that comprise the cosmos. Planets of ice, planets of lush, green tropical jungles, desert planets.....planets not unlike our own.

The multiverse is a place of many many wondrous things and unparalleled beauty, and the First has dedicated itself to finding and documenting all of them.

This.....is the tale of two such agents. Two intrepid explorers who will find themselves sent on a mission of a lifetime. They will push themselves to their very limits and in doing so, they will discover the truth of the universe itself and their genesis.

They will face their own darkness within as a threat unlike any they have known threatens them and their very existence.

Most of all, they will discover the truth of who they are.

The Darkness Within

The year is 2126. The concept of space exploration, of reaching out and travelling galaxies beyond our own is no longer a fantasy or restricted to the dreams of those with vivid imaginations.

Technological advancements mean that this is no longer a flight of fancy, it is a reality. The First Wave, a division dedicated to space travel and exploration has reached out to other galaxies and other life forms. Beginning to settle and colonise space, space stations and way points exist now all over the multiverse.

Humanity has not only met, but have formed peace treaties with other species, and are only now beginning to explore the many weird and wonderful planets that comprise the cosmos. Planets of ice, planets of lush, green tropical jungles, desert planets.....planets not unlike our own.

The multiverse is a place of many many wondrous things and unparalleled beauty, and the First has dedicated itself to finding and documenting all of them.

This.....is the tale of two such agents. Two intrepid explorers who will find themselves sent on a mission of a lifetime. They will push themselves to their very limits and in doing so, they will discover the truth of the universe itself and their genesis.

They will face their own darkness within as a threat unlike any they have known threatens them and their very existence.

Most of all, they will discover the truth of who they are.

Marrakts Repository

Name: Morgan
Profession: Pilot
Age: 22

Appearance:

Personality:

I cling on to the ghosts of the past. I wrap myself so deeply into the illusion I have weaved around myself that it has become who I really am. This is me....perhaps it has always been me.

Morgan is the quintessential joker and flirt. Brash and cocky, when he is not on duty he can be seen losing himself behind the latest cocktail or alcoholic drink. Either that or bedding someone else on the station or planet that he takes his leave on. Irreverent, arrogant and seemingly devoid of scruples and generally just not giving a damn, Morgan is the ultimate source of frustration to his superiors and his poor, long suffering partner. If he wasn’t so damn good at what he did, he would have been excised long ago from the space corps.

This is who he is.......perhaps.

The truth is something different. A man besieged with his own insecurities, believing himself to be nothing more than a failure, Morgan carries with him the ghosts of a past that he cannot truly rid himself off. He believes himself to be in over his head — and that it is nothing more than a matter of time before the truth is realised and he is exposed for the fraud that he truly is.

Morgan is haunted by the sight of a girl with blonde hair and blue eyes...looking up to him as her life slowly faded away from her. Holding her hand because for that moment, for that one moment in his life, he was powerless to do anything.....powerless to save the girl that he loved with all of his heart and soul.

It is something that is eating away at him slowly from the inside.

Morgan is afraid. Of friendship. Of companionship. Of commitment. He is frightened to love again, or to believe in anything, because if he does.....if he loses someone he cares for deeply again.....it will kill him.

It was.....is far easier to drink his troubles away. Carve another notch on that bedpost.

It allowed him to forget.

Background:

Her name was Vanna. She was the best of us, of all of us. She was better than I deserved. Now, and certainly then. Sometimes I still see her. In my sleep, in my dreams. It is the only way we can ever see each other again.

Born the son of a long line of pilots in the space corps, from an early age, it was believed that Morgan would follow in the footsteps of his parents, and indeed he did.

Just not in the way he believed that he would.

Morgan passed every single examination set in front of him by the space corps with ease. He was always the brightest and the best of his class. He was future commander material. When he met his beloved Vanna at the space corps facility and became engaged to her, it seemed his future was bright and there was no mountain that was too high for him to reach.

When it all came crashing down, it came crashing down hard. It happened the night before their wedding.

At one of the finest restaurants on the space station Eclipse, where they had met, and where they had due to be wed, Morgan stood. Taking his bride onto the dance floor, hand in hand, arm in arm, they began to dance to the sound of violins. When the loud bang came, they were all already too late. Vanna slumped forwards, into Morgan’s arms.

As he lay her down gently, cradling her, crying for help....as the blood trickled from the corner of her mouth, she looked up to him. She reached up with trembling hand, touched the side of his cheek......

”Carry on.....always....for me. I love you.”

They were the last words she ever spoke.

Vanna was given a funeral befitting her, as her coffin was sent out into space, as she would have wanted....

Two years on, Morgan honoured her final wish. Carrying on with his line of duty, he was nevertheless scarred by what had happened. A pale shadow of the man he used to be, where he acts on the surface like a cocky and arrogant braggadocio, the truth is simply that he is a person who is beset by his own insecurities and demons that he cannot truly excise.

He believes himself to be trapped in a situation that is slowly spiralling out of control....

The Genesis of Ansolera (Guardian Angel Haruki / Marrakt)

The trees, despite their attempts at closing the distance, they remained impossibly far away. Leading Callie, Merrill shook his head.

”We do what we have to do. I have my part to play in this, as do you. Nothing in the world can change that.”

And then it came. The vision

She stands before me. She looks me in the eyes as she steps closer.....closer.....she.....

He saw. And the vision came.

Lying on her back, her eyes stare up at me sightlessly. And I stand there, knife in my hand. Blood, her blood drips from the tip of the blade, falling to the floor.

Merrill’s mouth drops open in shock as he runs, whispering the words, ”No. Gods no.”

Hair of auburn, heart stealer,
I see you, I kill you.

The roar from behind shattered the vision, destroying his train of thought. Looking behind, Merrill stared in horror as it exploded out from the night sky, bearing straight towards them. Claws outstretched, fangs gleaming, its eyes burned with malice and hatred.

”Move!”

Pushing Callie to one side, Merrill rolled to the other. He felt claws scrape across the back of his leg and cried out in pain. Coming back up to his feet, he saw Callie on the other side.....beyond the twisted creature that stood between him and her. The creature advanced on her slowly, its face twisted into a grotesque smile, leering as its sharp teeth reflected off the light of the moon.

”You belong to ME,” it intoned, stepping towards her, claws reaching for her.

Climbing back to his feet, Merrill came towards it from behind, limping slowly as he favoured his injured leg.

”HEY YOU,” he shouted, reaching into his pocket, drawing forth.....something.

Something that he didn’t want to use unless it was an emergency.....and this certainly counted as that.

Laughing, the winged creature turned to face him.....as Merrill threw something into its face. There was a bang and an explosion of white light. The creature screeched as it clawed at it’s face, tearing at its eyes as it swiped at him with its free hand.

Rolling to one side, Merrill yelled as his leg crumpled, yet he was lucky....the momentum taking him underneath its taloned claw. Rolling onto his back, he climbed back up, ignoring the pain from his reopened injury as he looked to Callie.

”If you have any tricks left, I suggest you use them NOW!”

He called out as he looked at her, and once more he saw her, lying on the ground on her back, eyes staring at her killer accusingly.....

@Guardian Angel Haruki

The Genesis of Ansolera (Guardian Angel Haruki / Marrakt)

The roar sounded closer. The unicorns horn glimmered once more, and Merrill looked down to see his outline begin to fade along with the nine year old Callie’s.

”Thank you,” he said, then looked at Callie. ”No time,” he said, grabbing her hand and running.

And run they did. Across fields and open grasslands. Behind them, the roar sounded once more as the creature came closer. Overhead the moon shone bright and there was nary a cloud in the sky.

It was the perfect conditions for hunting.

Behind them, a second explosion of light could be seen echoing faintly against the night sky, and the creature roared again, although this time there was a tinge of pain to its voice. Merrill shook his head, hoping that the unicorn had managed to escape the grasp of the enraged demon.

”We need to get out of the open,” Merrill gasped, his lungs burning from the running.

Dark eyes scanned around desperately, looking for something.....anything that would allow them some sort of cover from the marauding creature. And then he saw it.

”There,” he pointed to the side.

In the distance, very faint but there nonetheless were the shadowy outlines of what looked like they were trees. Lots of trees.

”We can seek cover under the trees,” he panted, breathing heavily. ”Hopefully there we can find a hiding place.”

And then she exploded into bright white light. A white light that started out as a spark from Callie but grew larger and larger, first encompassing her body and then expanding to consume him. Shielding his eyes from the light, Merrill cursed.

”Callie..we really, really need to find a way of controlling your magic. If I didn’t know any better I’d swear that it was deliberately trying to get us caught.”

As they continued to race towards the shadows of the forest, outlines that although close seemed so desperately desperately far away, he continued.

”Callie, if it catches us, you are to run and you don’t look back,” he breathed heavily. ”You are of the most importance. You have to survive no matter what. I’ll do what I can to give you that chance, do you understand me?”

His face was flushed red from the exertion.