Inflicted Vengeance by |6|

Published on Kiith Iopia on date Unknown

A lull in the roar, finally. Yet, just as I wished for silence, I now wish again for the roar. The sound of the engines, the cannons firing just outside my canopy. As I look through the cracks and streaks of my cockpit, I see nothing save for the floating debris of the lost. And silence, the piercing, howling silence. Moments ago the mighty Baltazar, an Avenger class cruiser blazed majestically across the stars. Its massive structure blotted out the sun, dampened the fear in my heart. I can still see the Baltazar now, but it does nothing to calm my racing heart, to dry my sweat soaked palms. An enormous sheet of armor floats to my far left, the name Baltazar emblazoned on the side. The Taiidan are at fault for this. My friends, no, my family has joined the wreckage with our fleet. The streaks on my cockpit are a testament to their presence in this vacuum with me. I am aware by radio silence, that I am the sole remainder of our squadron. Shielded by the lazily spinning wreckage of the Baltazar, I remained hidden long after my fuel reserves were dry. I continued to remain hidden long after the final screams died over transmissions.

The sun is piercing from this angle, entering the canopy and causing it to darken in response. Strange that now, at the end of our voyage I begin to notice the beauty of the darkness around me. The delicate and ever-present light points of distant systems, perhaps unspoiled by the presence of any sentient race. Another glance reveals the Taiidan have departed, leaving nothing safe for a rapidly dissipating plasma trail. I trace another cursory glance along my instruments, noting the gauges that have been screaming at me all along. I turn them all out, noting each disabled system, each damaged component. My hand shakes as I pass over the life support readout. Twenty minutes. Twenty minutes and my scrubbers will fail, along with myself. A light thump draws my attention away from myself yet again, to the outside of my crippled Blade. More armor shards, this time from a Kaark. The Taiidan markings adorn the hull, sending shivers up my spine. Strange, I find myself wondering if another person, perhaps even a Taiidan is here as well, awating death. My hands have stopped shaking, my breathing has calmed. I know what waits, and I know that my fate is unavoidable. The Taiidan have faded as quickly as they arrived, yet not fast enough to avoid my sensors. Their position now is known to me, as well as their destination. My burst transmitter is intact, awaiting permission to send a distress signal tearing through the emptiness. I program the transmitter not to send out for my salvation, but to make a clarion call for the Taiidan\rquote s own damnation. The coordinates are set, the destination of the transmission locked. And yet something stays my hand. My ship has rotated slowly, drifting from the gargantuan bulk of the Baltazar and out into open space. The nebula, our nebula now fills my eyes with its ethereal grace. The colors mixing within my soul, contrasting the darkness and frozen oxygen behind me.

With wide-eyed amazement I stare into its magnificence, pressing back into my seat. Unavoidable tears fill my eyes, and I see the truth behind the events that have taken place since the inception of our journey. Why now, when the thinning thread of my life is visible, do I come to such a revelation? Why have I been made to see this? Under the hazy pink light of the nebula my eyes begin to grow heavy, the weight of my flight suit unbearable. I sigh, and lay back in my seat. Staring into the cloud with my eyes half open, I neglect the waiting transmitter. Sleep... All I need is sleep...