The Genesis Saga

For a moment, nobody moved. Adrian stood there ready to bolt back into his cell, while the others tensed at his presence. A person was the reason for all the symbols? Rann wondered. That can’t be. But his skin colour is just wrong. What happened? Rann had so many questions she wanted to ask, so many things she wanted explained. She didn’t get the chance, however, as Jyn beat her to the punch.

“Who are you? How did you get here?” Jyn asked aggressively from where he stood. He kept his gun trained on the man in front of him.

“I suppose I could ask you the same thing but seeing the guns, I can guess how,” Adrian replied nervously. “Are they all dead?” he asked instead, not replying to Jyn’s questions. Rann and Beor shared a look, not sure what to make of the situation.

“Answer our questions,” Jyn pressed, not willing to take any chances. Part of him suspected that the man in front of him was responsible for Reya’s torture, making him immediately dislike Adrian. He wanted answers and knew this man must have them.

Adrian took in the group in front of him, dressed in black body armour and helmets. He eyed the weapons cautiously. “So what brings the military – you are military, I’m assuming – over to this little slice of the universe? Or wherever this is.”

Jyn pulled the trigger on his gun and shot the ground in front of Adrian, causing everyone to jump. “I said,” he growled, “answer our questions.” A sizzling, blackened patch of metal sat only a scant few feet away from Adrian as Jyn’s shot ate through the floor. Adrian took several steps back.

“Jyn,” Rann admonished, “you can’t just shoot at people like that! The man hasn’t done anything.”

“Exactly my point. He should be listening to us, not mouthing off,” Jyn said pointedly. Adrian said nothing as he eyed Jyn warily.

“My teammate means no harm,” Rann said placatingly, hoping to diffuse the tension. Adrian gave her a flat look and glanced at the smoking patch on the floor in front of him. She winced. “We just want to know what you’re doing in the restricted section of the facility.”

“So there’s more to this place beyond this section?” Adrian asked in a small, hope-filled voice. He shook his head, deciding to be a bit more cooperative, lest he actually get shot. “I don’t know how I got here. I woke up here one day. If it wasn’t already obvious by the clothes I’m wearing.” Adrian motioned towards his torn, ragged, yellowed garments full of bloodstains. “I’ve been here a while. I’m their test subject,” he said bitterly, looking back towards the room he had come out of. “That door didn’t open by itself. Thank you for freeing me,” he said in honest gratitude.

Rann took a second look at the man, noticing the details he pointed out. Between the state of his clothes and the length of his unkempt hair, she figured he was telling the truth. Her eyes flicked over the multitude of scars on his arms. His silver cuffs caught her eye. “What were they testing on you?”

“I don’t know,” Adrian admitted, not seeing any reason to lie. “They never told me what they were doing to me. They just did it,” he shuddered.

“Guys?” came Tassie’s voice. “What’s going on down there? Did you find something? It sounds like you’re having a conversation with someone, but I’m not getting the other half of it.”

“Hold on Tassie, I’ll give you a visual,” Rann said before sharing what she saw through her visor. She heard Tassie gasp as she took in the sight of Adrian. Tassie immediately began recording what she saw so that she could review it later.

“He’s all wrong,” Tassie breathed into her comms. “Where did you find him?”

“He was locked behind the force field,” Beor answered.

“The Commander needs to see this. This is huge. He might be able to help us unlock the secrets of the facility! You need to bring him back to the ship.”

“Are you crazy?” Jyn hissed. “I don’t want that thing anywhere near our ship. We still don’t know how dangerous he is. Look at all the symbols plastered on the door of the room he came out of! He clearly warrants them – he’s covered in blood.”

“Jyn, the Commander’s going to want to know about this and we need to place him in a secure location. I can get Kell to prepare a holding room on the ship by the time you get back. I’ll make sure that the other teams are kept clear so you can get back without anyone seeing. Something tells me that we should probably keep this under wraps.”

“Good idea, Tassie,” Rann said, ignoring Jyn’s protests.

While Adrian wasn’t able to hear Tassie, he figured that they must be communicating with somebody else that wasn’t present. “You guys are taking me out of here?” he said eagerly.

“No.”

“Yes.”

Jyn and Rann said at the same time.

“We are not bringing this thing,” Jyn spat, “back onto the ship. That’s an order.”

“Our mission is to secure anything we find, Jyn. That includes living people. An order from the Commander supersedes your orders. We’re bringing him back. You can shoot him if he tries anything funny.”

“I vote that we don’t shoot me,” Adrian piped up. “I’ll cooperate if it means getting out of this place, don’t worry.”

“Great, because your words are so trustworthy,” Jyn said, rolling his eyes.

Rann and Beor took the rearguard, placing themselves behind Adrian, while Jyn and Eimir led the way back to the ship. Tassie guided them back towards the hangar where they’d first entered, ensuring that none of the other teams were in sight to witness their payload. Adrian, for his part, stayed silent and meekly followed. After all of his time spent in the facility, he had a rough idea of where they were going and was eager to leave its confines.

Every second they spent walking, Adrian felt the walls close in, despite the wide hallways. Freedom was right around the corner, so close he could taste it. He would do nothing to jeopardise his chance at finally escaping. Especially in a way that involved no pain.

As they walked the dimly lit halls, Adrian noticed the acute lack of the aliens that had kept him captive for so long. Turning the corner at the junction, he spotted the first body lying on the ground. He looked at the half-melted remains, then glanced at the gun held in Jyn’s arms. A cold chill passed through him when he realized that that could have been him had the man aimed a little bit higher.

They finally arrived at the entrance of the restricted section. The slab of strange metallic stone they’d carved out of the wall sat on the ground, untouched. Jyn and Eimir climbed over it, passing through the aperture. Once through to the other side, they turned around and kept their weapons trained on Adrian as he made his way through. Beor and Rann followed, bringing up the rear.

Adrian’s eyes landed on the empty stasis pod in the centre of the room. He paused, taking in the sight. The concentric blue rings on the ground hadn’t changed nor had the machine behind the pod. Memories of his first moments after awakening from stasis flooded his mind. The fear, uncertainty and confusion of that time were forever ingrained within him.

Beor moved ahead of the group and opened the door to leave the room. Rann noticed that Adrian remained rooted in place, staring at the pod as she moved forward.

“Are you coming or not?” Rann asked, snapping Adrian out of his thoughts when he didn’t follow.

Adrian shook his head slightly, clearing the remnants of his daydream before responding. “Yeah,” he said absentmindedly as he moved to follow the others.

Rann frowned at the odd behaviour, finding it familiar but unable to place where she’d seen it before. She shrugged and ignored it, deciding not to dwell on it until after the mission. She had more important things to worry about right now.

Adrian walked through the part of the facility that had been forever denied to him with a mixture of trepidation and curiosity. His heart thumped loudly in his chest as adrenaline coursed through his system. He expected to encounter resistance around every corner and was glad that he wasn’t the one leading the pack. While he didn’t trust the strangely dressed soldiers as far as he could throw them, he was counting on them to keep him safe. Or shoot him. It was a toss up, really.

It wasn’t long before they arrived at the hangar. Adrian stopped short at the sight, having never seen a spacecraft up close before. “Whoa,” he breathed before promptly coughing from all the dust. To him, it looked like a scene straight out of a movie. He knew that the group escorting had to have arrived somehow but seeing the spaceships and odd bikes without tires on the ground really put Adrian out of his depth.

As one, the soldiers made their way to their hoverbikes, mounting them. “How are we getting out of here, exactly? Are we using that ship over there?” Adrian pointed at the large ship, not noticing the damage.

Rann chuckled at the thought of using the broken ship. “No, we’ll be using these hoverbikes over here. You’re going to ride with me. Try not to fall off. Wouldn’t want you going splat when you hit the ground. We’re quite high up.”

Adrian stared gobsmacked at the bike. “You mean these things can fly? Like, actually fly?” he said in disbelief.

Rann paused. “Yeah?” she asked tentatively. Hoverbikes weren’t that uncommon. Civilians could purchase and own them if they got a license. She couldn’t understand why Adrian was making such a big deal out of it. “That’s why they’re called hoverbikes. Never seen one before?”

Adrian mutely shook his head before remembering to speak. “No, I’ve never seen one before. How do they work?” he asked in boyish wonder.

“Not sure about the specifics, actually,” Rann said, scratching her head. “All I know is that they fly. That’s good enough for me. Now hop on and don’t let go.” She mounted the bike, waiting for Adrian to follow. He straddled the seat behind her and put his arms around her waist, following her instructions.

The vehicle started with a hum and rose a metre off the ground. Rann felt Adrian’s grip on her tighten and heard him let out an undignified squeak as the bike started to move forward. She took pity on him and started off slowly, ensuring that he didn’t fall off. With no enemies nearby, she could afford to take the extra time needed for Adrian to acclimate to flying.

The others formed a protective ring around Rann as she moved forward, ready to intercept any threats that appeared. Upon exiting the hangar, she immediately noticed that the dust storm had abated somewhat, making it much easier to make their way to the ship. Tassie had been kind enough to bring their ship up to the height of the entrance, the hatch already open in anticipation of their arrival.

More than once they were buffeted by crosswinds, the strong gusts threatening to knock Adrian off the bike. He held on to Rann for dear life with an iron grip once he realised how high up they actually were. An immense wave of relief washed over him as they landed inside the ship. Shaking, he dismounted the bike and tried to hide his trembling hands behind his back. He didn’t want the others to notice any sign of weakness.

Now that he was on their ship, he was acutely aware that he was at their mercy. He had no more control here than he did back in his cell, and it rankled him. There was nothing to be done, however, so he decided to play along and see where cooperation got him.

Jyn was the first to arrive and was already waiting with his gun aimed at Adrian in case anything happened. “Kell,” he called over his comms. “Is the cell ready?”

“Yep. Remind me again why we have a fully functioning prison on the ship?”

“Specifically for situations like this,” Jyn said simply. “Whoever designed the ship had good foresight.”

“A real visionary,” Kell said sarcastically. “I didn’t even know we had this room until Tassie told me about it a couple of minutes ago.”

Jyn turned his attention back to their captive. “Alright, listen up, here’s how this is going to work. We’re going to go deeper into the ship. You’re going to follow. We’re going to dump you in a cell. You’re going to stay put and not cause any trouble. Is that clear?”

Adrian sighed. Of course it wasn’t going to be that easy. He shouldn’t have gotten his hopes up. “Fine, do what you have to. Just try not to shoot me. I prefer not being reduced to a sizzling pile of mush.”

Rann realized that she was still sending a visual to Tassie. She disabled the setting.

“Hey!” came an indignant grunt from Tassie.

“If you’re that curious, come and see for yourself,” Rann replied as they made their way further into the ship. They guided Adrian deep into the bowels of the ship until they came face with Kell, who stood dressed in a white lab coat. He took a long look at Adrian, a gleam in his eyes.

“Fascinating,” he muttered as he examined Adrian with a clinical gaze.

Adrian’s eyes widened as he gaped at Kell. “Holy shit, you’re purple!” he exclaimed in surprise. His head swiveled between the others. “Are the rest of you purple as well?”

Rann was confused. It was as if he’d never seen an a’vaare before. His earlier comments implied that he hadn’t been born in the research facility like she had originally suspected. He shouldn’t be so surprised at their skin colour. “Yes,” she said, taking off her helmet to show him her face. “You’re the weird one here. What did they do to you to turn you that colour?” she asked, intrigued.

“They did plenty of things to me but changing my skin colour wasn’t one of them. I was born this way.”

“And were you born in the facility?” Rann asked, unsure of herself. She didn’t know what to make of the stranger’s words.

“No. Those bastards had me kidnapped and put in one of those pod things. Next thing I know, I’m waking up on the floor. Thought I was going to die when I went in that thing. I didn’t expect to wake back up.”

“I see,” Rann said slowly, digesting the information provided by Adrian.

“That’s enough,” Jyn said, interrupting the conversation. “Get in the room so we can call the commander over. He’ll know what to do.”

Adrian looked like he had more to say but decided against it. He peered at the open door and sighed, trudging into the room. “I guess I get it, but just for the record, I’d prefer not being held captive again.” He entered the room and Jyn slammed the heavy door shut behind him. A mechanical whirring sound was the only indication that he had been locked inside.

The room wasn’t large by any stretch, but he found it was much nicer than his previous accommodations. There was a fully functioning toilet with a sink and even a bed for him to rest on. He looked down at his grime-covered body and grimaced. Perhaps he’d do them a favour and avoid sullying their nicely fitted sheets. He’d slept on the ground long enough that he didn’t mind doing so a little while longer.

Cyrix strode onto the ship with purpose. Nadi had been opposed to him descending personally to inspect the team’s findings once she found out, but he’d overruled her. She’d still insisted that he wear proper body armour on the off chance he walked into something dangerous, a sentiment he couldn’t deny her. He tugged at his tight sleeves – he swore the thing used to fit better – as his curiosity gnawed at him. A boyish excitement filled him as he wondered what was so urgent and secretive that he couldn’t be told over the comm system. Mysteries were a rare thing for a man of his stature, and he was delighted a new one had appeared.

Tassie was a bundle of nervous energy as the Commander approached the bridge, escorted by Jyn, who had remained tight-lipped about their findings thus far. Cyrix entered and found most of the crew assembled. Teams were of seven soldiers and he noted the absence of Beor and Eimir.

“Where are the others?” he inquired.

“They’re guarding our findings,” Jyn replied succinctly. He was already upset that his orders regarding their prisoner had been disobeyed again but wasn’t about to let it show in his voice. He’d at least gotten his way when he insisted that Adrian be guarded by both Beor and Eimir, a sentiment Rann was fully in agreement with.

“What have you discovered that’s so urgent?”

“It’s not what we’ve discovered, but who,” Rann explained. “Tassie, show him.” At her command, Tassie brought up an image of the room Adrian was being kept in, displaying it for all to see. “During our exploration of the restricted area, we discovered a person locked behind a force field. He claims he was their test subject. We have reason to believe that he may have knowledge about the facility’s true purpose.”

While Rann continued explaining what they knew, Cyrix walked closer to the screen, not saying anything. He spent a long moment examining the image in front of him before saying anything else. “Am I seeing this correctly? Is his skin a tan colour?”

“That’s right,” Rann replied. “That’s just the beginning of the mysteries surrounding the man. From what little we’ve interacted with him, he appears to have,” she hesitated, looking for the right words, “gaps in common knowledge. He’d never seen a hoverbike and was surprised at our skin colour, among other things. As if he’d never seen an a’vaare before. He also claims he was born that colour.”

Cyrix rubbed his chin, watching Adrian settle down on the ground. “That has some disturbing implications. Do you think there are others like him in the facility?”

“No. We couldn’t find any other evidence of there being more people held captive. The other teams haven’t found anything either.”

Cyrix fell silent, thinking about what he’d just learned. “You did well to keep this a secret from the others. The General is going to want to hear about this, but I’m concerned about his existence being leaked. Until we know more about the situation, I’d rather he remain a secret. I’ll inform the General that we’ve found something important, but that she needs to see it in person in order to decide what to do. For now, your orders are to return back to Verilia and deliver your payload. Secrecy is of the utmost priority. Make sure no one else finds out about his existence. Try to get as much information out of him as you can on the way back.”

“Understood, sir,” Rann replied. She shot a knowing look towards Jyn. “Are we to use any means necessary?”

“No. While it’s important to learn what the man knows, I’d rather not torture somebody beyond what they’ve already probably suffered, if Corporal Ayala’s time in captivity is anything to go by.”

Jyn looked like he was about to protest, but Rann shot him a withering look. “Can we at least keep him locked in his cell throughout the trip?” Jyn asked through gritted teeth.

“That’s fine. Make sure he doesn’t cause any trouble. Has he been cooperative so far?”

“Yes.”

“No.

Rann and Jyn said one after another. “He’s been more than cooperative, given the current situation,” Rann said, cutting Jyn off before he could speak. “He hasn’t been violent thus far and has made no indication of being aggressive. Although I suspect that might change if we mistreat him.”

“I think it’s high time I speak to him. Have him escorted to a room so that I can question him personally,” Cyrix ordered, looking between Jyn and Rann. He hadn’t been expecting conflicting answers to his simple question. There was something more to the story that the team wasn’t telling him, but he decided not to pursue the matter. Rann’s look earlier hadn’t been as subtle as she’d hoped.

Tassie relayed the order to Beor and Eimir, who withdrew Adrian from the floor of his cell and brought him to the ship’s meeting room. Cyrix continued to question Rann and Jyn about their newest addition until they received confirmation that Adrian was securely waiting for them to arrive.

Cyrix strode down the narrow halls of the ship, guided by Rann. They came to an already opened door not too far away from the bridge. The Commander entered the room and found Adrian seated at a large, rectangular table, looking rather nervous. It was finally time for Cyrix to get some answers.

His black leather chair groaned as Cyrix leaned back into it, a weary expression on his face. He sat in his office with the door locked, ensuring that he wouldn’t be interrupted. After spending several hours observing and questioning Adrian, he’d concluded that the man was withholding information and was unwilling to spill all of his secrets. Not that Cyrix could blame him. The man wasn’t stupid enough to divulge everything to foreign military. He was probably gauging their reaction to him just as much as they were gauging his reaction to them.

He’d been so thrown off by Adrian’s appearance that he hadn’t thought to ask him for his name and chided himself for forgetting something so basic. Drumming his fingers on his dark wooden desk, he pondered what to make of the situation. The brass inlays in the wood gleamed in the light of the room, distracting him from his thoughts.

The discovery of a living being within the compound changed things. After what had happened to Corporal Ayala, it was plausible to think that this man was the reason the facility had been so heavily guarded. The remaining teams had come across heavy resistance defending the facility. Looking back on it, they had been lucky to rescue Reya to begin with.

The gru’uls’ tendency to commit suicide rather than be captured was an oddity that frustrated Cyrix. While this made the one they had captured much more valuable, it also made it harder to replace. Another issue was Adrian’s claim that he didn’t know what the gru’ul were doing to him, nor why. Cyrix could believe that part but was annoyed that the man hadn’t been willing to divulge what they’d done to him. Sadly, Cyrix couldn’t even fault the strange man’s desire to keep his secrets, as it was exactly what he would have done had he been in his place. He picked up his data slate and made a call.

“What’s the problem, Commander?” Nessah’s face appeared onscreen. “It’s rare that you contact me on our private line like this,” she said, concerned.

“Are you somewhere private?”

“I’m in my office. There’s no one else here.”

“Good. It’s about the research facility. We’ve found something – something big,” Cyrix said. Nessah immediately snapped to attention, fully ready to hear what Cyrix had to say. “I’m sending the team that found it back to base so that you can decide what to do.”

“What did you find?” Nessah asked.

“I can’t tell you yet.”

“What? Why not? This is a secure line, Cyrix. Nobody’s going to overhear us.”

“You and I both know that there’s no such thing as a secure line. I’m keeping quiet about it for your own good. I don’t want others getting their hands on this information before you do.”

“Gods dammit, Cyrix,” Nessah swore, frustrated at the cloak and daggers. “Can’t you give me a hint? Can you at least tell me what team discovered it?”

“It was Corporal Ayala’s team.”

Nessah pinched the bridge of her nose. “Of course it was,” she sighed. “When can I expect them?”

“In roughly three weeks. They’re already on their way. Have a room prepared, away from prying eyes. Keep this as secret as possible. You’ll thank me if you do.”

A look of frustration crossed Nessah’s features. “Fine, we’ll do it your way. Not like I have a choice in the matter, now do I? I’ll make sure everything is set up to receive them when they arrive. It would be nice if I knew what to expect, but that won’t be happening. I’ll contact you once they get here.”

A knock on Cyrix’s door interrupted the conversation. He looked up from the screen before returning his gaze to Nessah. “Somebody’s here. I need to go. Remember, Nessah, keep this quiet. Don’t let the Elders find out about it just yet.” He hung up the call, leaving Nessah alone to ponder what might be heading her way. The only thing she could do was hope that she would be well-enough prepared for whatever was coming her way.