The screams were intensifying in Santiago's head as well, but somehow his weapons were hot and he aimed at the damned thing. Al....alright....I....I...... He blacked out momentarily.
Next thing he knew, he woke up and found that his weapons were discharged. H....how.... He was confused as to how he managed it. But it was over. The object was destroyed. I....It is done.
He hoped that it was enough. Sure enough, the voices in his head were disappearing. He was relieved. Are you guys ok?
Waking up from the nightmare, Alberto Cruz slowly regained control of his extremities, one finger at a time. He looked up to the blurry space; green controls everything, and the shades of blue and purple were gone. Moreover, he felt renovated as his thoughts, previously flooded by twisted sensations, remained calm.
Trying to move every muscle, Cruz checked his body. No damage at all, as he would have thought seconds ago as demise would have been supposedly imminent. Once again, Cruz studied the panoramic with the ship’s sensors. Besides Harabero and Rosario, only vacuum filled with wrecks and death was around them. No signs of disruptive emissions, no whispers and no warmth.
“I’m all good here, señor Rosario. A little disoriented by what was happening, I assumed I was done for. Are you alright the rest of you?”
Cruz primed up the engines, more than eager to leave the gloomy scene.
“Are we ready to depart? I guess there’s nothing else to see here…unless you want to stay longer with the deceased ones. We should report to Julia López as soon as possible.”
Juan woke up on the floor of his ship. He felt terrible, sick, and sore. Juan slowly stood up and regained control of his ship. Then he realized. Santiago had done it. Juan was satisfied. He knew he could trust Santiago.
"You did it. Santiago, good job."
It was time to get out of here. Juan couldn't stand another second in this place.
"Negative, lets get out of here. I don't feel safe anymore."
As they began to depart the area, Juan picked something up on his scanners. A wing of Sabres.
"Identify yourselves."
Juan was not ready for a fight. He just had to hope they were friendlies. Once they came closer though, their identification was indeed Outcasts. Thankfully.
"This is a Ruiz patrol wing. Command sent us here after a bring flashing light was spotted from our outer patrol."
Juan was thankful. Maybe they could make it back alive.
"They sent us to investigate and bring back anybody. Come with us. Please."
Santiago hoped that they weren't in trouble for anything. We are relived to see you guys. Seeing any friendly face was a relief after all that they had been through recently.
What say we get out of here? He was ready to return to friendly space. This place gave him the creeps.
Cruz decided to remain silent and joined up the Ruiz pilots. He had enough for the day.
…
…
“So, let me get this straight: You destroyed an artifact of unknown purpose without considering the possible discoveries that we could have achieved with it…”
“Santiago took the decision, I told him to tractor it. He destroyed it and, to be honest, it was for the best.”
“If its influence was conducted through light, as you have told me; then it would have been safe to take it to the ship, no?”
“Well, yes…”
Once again in Corsica Complex, the group reunited on a secluded workshop of the facility. Green nebula covers the exterior view and artificial light was being distorted by the machinery and tools all around the room; a mix of abandonment and coziness. Ventilation shafts hummed by outside operations, meanwhile the trio looked upon an unimpressed Julia López; who softly touched, with her index finger, a table with gathered dust, in complete apathy. The debriefing, after several minutes of explaining the events occurred during the trip in Omicron Beta, was reaching its conclusion. Julia sighed but maintained a steady and cold composure to the men nearby, as the result seemed predictable for her, considering the people involved.
“What about Malekula and Vanuatu? Any additional problems along the minefield?”
“Malekula…Vanuatu? Excuse me, but…”
“Did you check the neural-net database regarding the area in particular?”
Odd silence came through Cruz, as Julia López simply looked at him in complete disappointment.
“In any case, your task has been completed; even if the outcome was not the best. It is regrettable the loss of 2 squads of Asesinos. Nevertheless, you did your job and ceased the main element that could have been more dangerous on the hands of careless personnel, or worse.”
Julia, displeased by Cruz’s response, looked upon the couple of men; searching for a particular perspective regarding the mission.
“Señores Harabero and Rosario. Would you like to add something relevant to what happened in Beta?”
Juan stood here with his arms crossed. He was gonna stand his ground. Santiago did the right thing, and Juan was going to stand up for him for it.
"With all due respect, The artifact was destroyed for good reason. If Santiago had not destroyed it, there would have been far more casualties. The artifact was alive. Tractoring it would set everybody at danger in the vacinity. It's influence was not only through light, but through sound, detectable by radio lengths."
Juan hoped this would satisfy, and that he would not get stripped of his rank because of it.
"As well as the mysterious nature towards Maleku and Vanuatu, if that is where we were, the consequences of bringing something out of that area could be disastrous."
I sure hope that is all. This experience has been unsavory and I, for one, would like to put it behind us. He hoped that they could put it behind them.
He still felt weird from being touched by the artifact. But he was slowly getting better. He hoped that they would not have to go through that again.
Well? Can we go now? He was impatient to get home to the sweetness that was Malta. He missed it so.
Julia listened in disbelief, as inconsistencies emerged during the last part of the debriefing; it was clear that the trio were more than eager to leave everything related to the mission behind.
“Detectable by radio lengths? That contradicts the data logs from the ships and Cruz’s claims. Visible light and voices. These last ones could not be tracked accurately, only through your minds, is that correct? Additionally, the message sent by Marcelo Riquelme suggested that it was an instrument of Nomad origin; but he did not verify properly that assumption, even if he got it from Knossos…”
The more questions clustered in Julia’s thoughts, the more she felt in vain to elaborate them further. So, she decided to end it quickly.
“Enough of this, it is over. You can leave now.”
Unsatisfied by the lack of answers, Julia stopped looking at the Outcasts and turned her face towards the window. Cruz replied obediently:
“Si, señorita López. We should go now, amigos.”
As the members left the scene, Julia gazed upon the nebula and its complex forms. Even if the search involving the missing Maltese squads was over, the mission felt like a failure for her. The source of disturbance was lost in plasma, and the mystery regarding its origins and technology remained hidden. She reflexed and sighed, certain of what comes next.
The Asesinos suffered a fatal touch and Cruz, Harabero and Rosario glimpsed a disturbing experience that could have been worse; all to be archived as another footnote, a job done around a vast number of another ones. The horrors manifested by the device were ceased and the only one benefited was the one who kept it safe the longer he could; now turned into ashes, alongside his lifeless companions.
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