Andromeda: The Last Ark

My old man seemed to age slightly from the last time I've eavesdropped on him. Rugged, salt and pepper hair replacing his once prideful black mane. Serious posture, his golden eyes focused on me. A hint of twinkling excitement was within them, no, he was over the galaxy. I can tell that much by looking at him. The thought of him howling and acting like a circus monkey leaves me cringing at the thought.

“So formal dad, even though you're trying to hold back your usual self. You can't control that part about yourself, I can see right through you.”

Muttering softly, arms folding over against my chest.

“What? Really? Oh come on sweetie, after all this time, that's what you have to say first?”

Aldier glanced away from the screen, stroking his mane. It coiled around his cheeks to his chin, a hidden smirk grew from within.

“And you've gotten old, don't tell me that ship is turning you gray.”

Softly spoken while feeling my smile stretch farther up my face than it needed. It's really been a long time, hasn't it?

“Don't you go calling me old now, I'm still in my prime young lady. And speak for yourself, the last time I saw you, you were just an adorable cub. Oh how I remember in those days you would seek adventure across the stars. How you were excited about growing up to become like your birth mother. Desiring to meet a fellow male to entice…”

Oh no, please stop… Stop! Why, why must you do this again!

As my old man continued on with the memories of the past, I was more focused on Diana who appeared in awe. Feverish, this is the kind of embarrassment that kept me from calling most days.

“Aldier Kinly!”

My trembling voice, crying out his name with more anger than anticipated. He jumped back slightly after hearing his full name being shoved into his large ears. My reflection gave off a heated expression, an emotional turmoil I wasn't prepared to handle.

“So rude Rosey, he looked so happy to see you. Now you made him sad, scared. Never call a father or lover by their full name. Never ever.”

Diana empathizes with a shaking finger. As if she understood what it feels like, her father doesn't do this kind of gushing treatment to her.

“Diana? Diana is that you? Right? My darling has me shaking in my boots, I don't know what I did to upset her so…”

His serious expression dwindled into a brief moment of sorrow. The hologram followed my image as I sat next to my lamb bestie. Her white woolly hair overwhelmed the image until Diana’s face appeared. I had no choice but to play with the headset so the holo-recorder could view us both on the sofa.

“Mama always said no, because the male is fragile to such words. Mhm, my humble apologies to you mister Kinly.”

“Can… Can we drop this subject, please…”

Defeated, destroyed, tagged team by my old man and my so-called best friend. The sofa was ready to swallow me whole within its warm embrace. Just go ahead and take me, deity of Dasia…

“Dad, Sorry… Just… Could you clarify some things we've been hearing about?”

Softly uttered to him, instantly his demeanor changed. I couldn't say if it was for the better, or the worse. His expression is now unreadable.

“You've heard about the wreckage fields already?”

He asked seriously, his tone sharpened, more so than I'm used to.

“What do you mean? It's all over the news here. Pirate ships obliterated, massacred down with no survivors.”

Diana mused thoughtfully. Aldier let out a grim sigh, brow narrowing as if something was wrong.

“It's probably best that the story stays out in the public. We don't know all of the details yet about what happened and who did it. All we know is, it's by a race far exceeding in military power, compared to our Galactic standards.”

He muttered coldly. It's as if he himself didn't believe what he was saying. Curiosity started brewing inside with a wrench turning my gut into an unrefined paste.

“What about the relay station your ship was stationed to check up on?”

I asked softly, tone lowering to a high whisper. He glanced away from the question, as if he was scanning his surroundings.

“The images you saw were chunks of the station. Over half of it still stands strong, but the fusion generators inside had died out from the attack. Sacrificing the remaining power it stored into air supply and containment. All survivors are on Luna as we speak while we investigate what had happened. That look of shock, yeah I know it all too well. Before I say more, yeah the council knows about it, and yes they made some cover-up story for it. They knew exactly how fast word would spread, so they needed to act in great haste on how that word would be distributed.”

His demeanor is unconformable, this situation was no laughing matter. My old man has no reason to lie to me, giving valuable intel, well that's another story. I just hope what he's doing doesn't get him in any sort of trouble.

“Don't look at me like that sweetie, I'll be alright.”

The distance didn't change anything, the man could always tell how I felt, no matter how hard I tried disguising it. Call it ‘father's intuition’ he would say.

“What about the relay station? Any idea on what attacked it?”

A soft whisper puffed out from my already twisting chest. The more it started to sink in, the heavier it felt to breathe.

“Attacked? No, the station was rammed by… Something large, here, I'll show you the short video feed we discovered. It'll be all I have to know about it, everything else is sealed away by closed doors. Way too high for my pay grade.”

We watched as Aldier pressed several key icons on his hologram, allowing us access to his nano-tech suits' memory. A new hologram displayed next to our images with the point of view coming from a live sensor. It revealed the once lively station with rotatory gyros gravitating around a fusion core for fuel. Flashes of light would flicker from the core as ships appeared, then fade away into the void. Merchant and warships alike, using the station to skip travel times down in half. Avoiding any unnecessary fuel waste from jumping from one side of the galaxy to the other.

“There’s an area over there, just west from the station where all of the stars… Where are they?”

I asked curiously, we watched as this darkened void slowly increased in size with each passing day. The video feed continued, fast forwarding with each day lapsed away in minutes.

“They believed it was just a cosmic storm, a dense cloud from a dead star passing through. No heat signatures, nothing that would indicate it otherwise. It was too slow for it to be an interstellar ship either, at least that's what they assumed. Before they realized what it was, it was too late.”

He explained as the darkness began to take shape just behind the station. A blackened haul absorbing all light that reaches out with no room for reflection. There was no activity with its engines, as if it was just drifting through the vast edges of space. Unable to stop or slow down, the camera tried expanding as the haul smashed into the relay station. Severing well over half while barely damaging the ship itself. The shields couldn’t hold from the mass forcing itself in, diverting all power to life support. Sealing breaches, securing as much life as possible before they’d fall victim to being swooped into the void. The ship, larger than any capitol ship known in the galaxy, pressed on whilst unfazed. Closer inspection on the black haul showed heavy gashes and craters. Battle worn scars that would put all of our ships into shame.

“A ghost ship? I think I’m more afraid of whatever caused that much damage to the behemoth…”

If I were to compare the damages made from the station, to what’s covering the ship. There’s no doubt in my mind that this wreckage was trying to escape its attacker, and failed miserably. My father seemed to agree full heartedly with my opinion.

“Communication was destroyed on the station, their supplies had dwindled scarcely before we arrived. They reported it happened within a couple hours, and we are currently enrolling scouts to locate the beast. With no heat signature, electromagnetic wavelengths, nothing to indicate where it is. You have more luck finding a needle in a haystack. We are however using a wide array of visions to locate any dark mass within the area. Gamma, x-ray, you name it, they're using it to snuff out the vessel.”

Aldier gestured, the video feed ending with the ship creeping into the darkness once more. Blackening the stars in its path.

“What about the four other locations?”

Diana asked softly, her small black ears twitching. A small sign she was nervous with this information. Being the gossip, unfiltered tongue that she is, I have no doubt she'll struggle to contain this.

“I've heard two are in fact pirate wreckage that initiated combat with the black vessels. Compared to this one, what they surveyed from the tattered systems were that these two were working. Weapon systems were online, but they weren't firing. Only once they assumed it was safe to board, well. They were leveled into scrap in just seconds. Multiple dreadnoughts and carrier strike groups are tracking them, as for the three docile ones. The last two were civilian transport ships, meeting a similar fate as the relay station.”

His gaze diverted away, they were uncertain. Aldier’s words stuck in the air, weighing down on us as if a Dasia centaur decided to take a seat without checking who's behind them.

“Rose, Diana, I know what I said here goes far beyond protocol. So I need you both to keep quiet about this, you hear me? It's a lot to take in, surely, but we can't release this kind of detail out into the masses. Not yet at least. Not until we're able to verify the what's, where's, how's and why's.”

Sitting up with my fists buried against my chin. I had to digest this shit storm worth of information. Our eyes locked briefly, silence was the only answer I could offer. The knife dug itself too deep in my throat and I can't seem to pull it out. A slight nod is all I could offer.

“Diana?”

Aldier spoke her name again, now turning his focus on her. Diana displayed a hand signal over her lips, as if she was zipping them shut.

“I'll save it old man, promise.”

“Old man? Hmm I’m still in my prime.”

He muttered in response, but nonetheless. Aldier noted it and accepted the promise with a reassuring smile.

“Lastly, before I disconnect this call. Notify the representative if either of you see a blackened void where stars used to shine. I'll deal with the initial blow from it, but if it's to help span our search in order to save lives. Then so be it.”

“Alright dad, you can count on us.”

Assured, it wasn't something that needed much thought to process. He mused thoughtfully at my quick response, a chuckle escaped his dry cracked lips.

“Very well. Until next time, sweet Rose. Your mothers’ will be so proud of what you've become.”

A chill ran ragged against my spine as he ended the call, not allowing me to get a word in to say my peace.